


Once Upon A Time Travel: Angels and Demons

by TheTimeTraveler24



Series: Once Upon A Time Travel [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Gen, Heroes learn to be hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-10-05 03:30:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20482148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTimeTraveler24/pseuds/TheTimeTraveler24
Summary: A happy day quickly turned into a nightmare when a hellhound appeared at Emma and Killian's wedding to drag Henry Mills's soul to the depths of Hell. When hunter Claire Novak and angel Castiel appeared in time to slaughter the hound, the heroes of Storybrooke were left with more questions than answers. Claire wants nothing more to than to leave Henry to his fate after learning they interfered with a deal, but Cas thinks these fairytale heroes can give the hunting duo a helping hand of their own. Two years ago, around the same time Henry made his deal, two hunters by the names of Sam and Dean Winchester went missing. Little do the hunters and heroes know, supernatural trouble is brewing in Storybrooke. It's up to the hunters and heroes to find Sam and Dean, get Henry out of his deal, and stop the impending threat to this world.





	1. The Truth is Out There

_ Now Playing: Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi _

_ “Selling your soul, that’s ridiculous!” Henry laughed. _

_ THEN: _

♫ It’s all the same, only the names will change ♫

_ “Who are you? Emma demanded. _

_ “Claire Novak.” _

_ “Castiel.” _

♫ Everyday, it seems we’re wastin’ away ♫

_ Henry faced the crossroads demon. “Return Robin Hood back to life.” _

_ “Is your soul worth his life?” _

♫ Another place where the faces are so cold ♫

_ The demon smiled. “It seems we have a deal.” _

_ “Emma, when we first met, there was only one thing that mattered to me,” Killian said. “Getting my revenge.” _

_ “Killian, I spent so much of my life on my own,” Emma smiled. _

_ “I do.” “I do.” _

♫ I drive all night just to get back home ♫

_ “Then it is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Archie announced. _

♫ I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride ♫

_ “Robin?” Regina called. _

♫ I’m wanted ♫

_ “Oh my god,” Lucy whispered. “It’s today. Henry!” _

♫ dead or alive ♫

_ NOW: _

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Claire looked at each of them. “Which one of you was it after?” she asked briskly.

Lucy pointed a shaky finger at Henry. “H-h-henry,” she stammered.

Henry swallowed as Castiel peered down at him and frowned. Castiel inhaled sharply.

“What?” Claire demanded. Her eyes darted from Henry to the carcass of the hellhound. She narrowed her eyes. “No,” Claire growled. “Tell me we did NOT just interfere with a deal. Castiel…”

“How do you know about that?” Henry blurted. “Where’d you come from? How did you kill that thing?”

Claire cut him off. “Not important. We just interfered with a deal. Your deal. What were the conditions?”

“Two years,” Henry said quietly. “And I can try and get out of the deal all I want.”

Claire sighed in relief. “At least there’s that. What did you make the trade for? Girlfriend?” she asked casting Lucy a quick glance.

Henry didn’t say a word. He looked down and refused to make eye contact.

Claire huffed and looked at the group as a whole. “Alright. Which one of you recently came back from the dead?”

Lucy squeaked and looked at Henry pleadingly although Henry could not see Lucy’s face.

“Me,” Robin offered. He frowned. “Er, how did you know that? What does that have to do with anything?”

Claire was muttering under her breath. She closed her eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and opened her eyes. She smiled falsely at them. “You really don’t know? I’m assuming Henry never told you then. That thing Castiel and I killed was a hellhound. Demons use them to… collect on deals. Henry made a deal. His soul in two years in exchange for your life,” she said to Robin. “Two years is odd though. Typically the deal will be for ten years or if the demon is particularly cruel, they’ll give you one year.”

Henry mumbled something incoherently. He lifted his head and looked at Claire. “She wanted to give me one I think,” he said softly. “But then she said I reminded her of someone. He traded his soul for his brother.”

Claire and Castiel exchanged a look. Castiel shrugged and Claire motioned for Henry to continue.

“She gave me two because she said something about them not being able to get out in one and she wanted to see if we could,” Henry finished explaining. “I don’t know who she was talking about.”

“We do,” Castiel said flatly. He had an eerie air to him, like he wasn’t completely human. “This demon was probably speaking of our friends.”

“Friends,” Claire echoed sarcastically. “Loose term that.”

Castiel looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. Then, refocusing on the group, he continued, “Claire and I have been searching for them. They’ve gone missing and we haven’t seen them in years.”

“Who?” David asked forcefully.

Castiel looked at him. “Sam and Dean Winchester,” he answered. “The best hunters our Earth has.”

* * *

Claire wiped the white towel on her angel blade absently. She was still scanning the room that had been given to her for possible threats.

“Claire.”

Claire jumped up and turned around. The blade was pointed inches from Castiel’s neck. He stared down at the blade.

“Dammit, Cas,” Claire said angrily, setting the blade down. “I could have killed you.”

Cas blinked slowly. “I would have stopped you.”

“Not the point,” Claire said crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter. “So. What’s so important you have to mojo yourself in rather than knock like a normal person?”

“What are we going to do about Henry Mills?” Cas asked her, ignoring her question. “His deal. We should not have interfered.”

Claire shrugged. “Won’t lie. I’m mad that we messed up like that. The hellhounds will come again. Best we can do is hand them some iron and goofer dust.”

“I want to stay.”

Claire turned her head to face Cas. “Excuse me?”

“I want to stay,” Cas repeated. “The demon he made the deal with knew about Sam and Dean. This may be our chance to find them.”

“All monsters know about Sam and Dean,” Claire snapped. “The best hunters in the world? The monsters who don’t know them would be idiots.”

“Claire, I have to find them,” Cas said seriously. “We have to take any clue we can get. We aren’t any closer to finding them now as we were two years ago.”

“We don’t even know these people, Castiel,” Claire hissed. “I am not about to tell them about this crap we have to deal with.”

“We never know these people,” Cas pointed out. “We just save whoever we come across.”

* * *

Henry, Lucy, and the heroes were gathered at Granny’s listening as Henry explained the deal.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Regina asked Henry angrily. She stopped pacing as Henry finished telling them about the deal. “Henry, we are your family. Families don’t keep secrets like this.”

Emma stared at Henry in shock. “I don’t understand, Henry. Ever since we came back, it’s just been one lie after another.”

“You weren’t supposed to know about this,” Henry said miserably. “Luce and I were going to get me out of the deal without telling you unless we had to. I didn’t want you to worry too much about me and about the supernatural.”

Lucy crossed her arms. “Sorry? Who wanted to tell your family as soon as the deal was made? Just remind me.”

Claire poked her head into the diner. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said not sounding very sorry at all.

“It’s fine, we were just about done anyway,” David said, eyes still trained on Henry. “David,” he introduced himself. “My wife Snow. Emma’s our daughter. Henry is her son.”

“Killian Jones,” said man offered.

“Regina Mills,” she said, still looking upset over Henry’s lying.

“Robin Hood,” Robin said awkwardly.

“I’m Belle and this is Rumplestiltskin,” Belle said gesturing to Gold.

“Mr. Gold is fine,” Gold said quickly.

Claire smiled tightly. “We didn’t really get a chance to introduce ourselves very well,” she continued. “I’m Claire and this is Castiel,” she said gesturing to herself and Cas respectively. “We, well,  _ I _ am a hunter of the supernatural. That is to say spirits and monsters and all the things that go bump in the night.”

“You’re a hunter?” Belle asked. “What about him?”

“Cas is more of a warrior,” Claire said after a slight hesitation. “Hunters… we got into this life because we found out the truth one way or another. Castiel and the others like him were born to fight the supernatural.” She pushed herself up to sit on the counter.

Castiel’s eyes looked from Claire then down and away.

“Seems he disagrees,” Robin said suspiciously.

Claire looked over at Cas and frowned. “Cas,” she warned. “Don’t. We don’t know them. Cas!” She pulled Castiel’s arm back as he moved towards the group of heroes. “Castiel!”

Cas pulled his arm out of Claire’s hand. He stared into the group of heroes. “My name is Castiel,” he said. “I’m an angel of the Lord.” A shadow of wings appeared on the wall behind him for a second.

“Like God?” Snow asked.

Claire sighed. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Then she opened her eyes and nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Like God.” She cleared her throat. “Where’s the closest library?”

Belle stood up. “It’s just down the street,” she said softly. “I’ll show you.”

* * *

Belle lead Claire down the street to the clock tower. “It’s just under here,” she explained as she unlocked the door. “Most of our books are about magic and such so I’m not sure how much of a help those will be. As I understand it, demons and the like aren’t supposed to exist in this world.”

Claire paused and her hand rested on the blade looped through her jeans. “Magic? As in witchcraft? You’re telling me you are all witches?”

“All of us…? No!” Belle laughed. “Emma, Regina, and Rumple are the only ones who can really use magic and use it well. The rest of us could certainly try to learn, but not everyone is able to use it.” She shrugged. “I can use magical objects or potions, but no spells from me.”

“And you haven’t heard of a demon deal before?” Claire asked flatly. She hovered in the doorway, watching Belle get the library up and running.

“No, should I have?” Belle asked turning on the lights.

Claire shook her head and stepped in. “Nah, it’s just when I run across magic users, they only get magic out of demon deals. People here are just born with the ability?”

“Rumple would know better than me,” Belle told her. “He’s been using magic for centuries and he had access to an amazing amount of books on it. Anyway, what are you looking for?”

“I just needed a quiet place to think,” Claire admitted. She sat at one of the tables and flicked through a book. “I need some time away from Castiel.”

“Are you two…”

Claire scoffed. “Ugh no. Cas is… like my father. Well, no. It’s just… It would be weird if…” she trailed off.

“What’s wrong?” Belle asked gently. “You seem at odds. Maybe talking will help.”

Claire pulled a beer out of her bag. She uncapped it and tilted it towards Belle. “Then I better make sure I ain’t sober,” she said cheerfully. After she took a sip, Claire shook her head. “You want to know the real me, Belle?” She nodded at the seat across from her. “It’s a long one.”

Belle sat down, curiosity piqued. “Alright. What’s this long story?”

“When I was ten years old, my father was just standing outside,” Claire began. “He had always been very religious and this time my mom thought he was going too far. He was talking about angels speaking to him. Anyway, he went outside for some air. I opened the front door and called to him, but do you know what he told me?” Claire’s eyes burned with a sadness. “My father looked me in the eye and said he wasn’t my father. He just walked away from the house. From me.”

Belle gasped. “That’s awful.” She seemed to realize something. “Castiel? He’s an angel, right? Was he one of the ones speaking to your father?”

Claire grimaced. “Yeah. About a year later, my dad comes back to us. Then we got attacked by demons. My dad got hurt. Really hurt. I don’t remember this very well, but Castiel healed my dad. Then he let Cas take over his body. Again.” Claire set the angel blade on the table and looked down at it. “You see angels need permission to take over a vessel. Cas… Cas picked my dad to be his vessel.”

“Oh,” Belle blinked in surprise. “So that man is your father, but Castiel is using his body to move around Earth?”

“Not anymore,” Claire said bitterly. “Castiel has died quite a few times. My dad is dead. The ‘body’ Cas uses is just made in the image of my dad.” She smiled to herself. “But my dad is in there somewhere. I can feel it.”

“I thought you said he was dead?”

Claire nodded. “He is. It’s just… I’m his daughter. I know he’s still part of Cas. It’s why I’m here helping him.”

* * *

_ Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Two Years Ago _

Claire stared at the key in her hand. She had been standing on the porch for a good five minutes. Before she could make a decision about unlocking the house, the door swung open.

“Claire?” Jody Mills gasped in surprise.

Claire held up her hands. “Hey, Jody.” She stepped into the house and closed the door. As soon as the door shut, Claire was greeted with a face full of holy water. Claire sighed and wiped her face with her sleeve. “Relax. I’m only here to… catch up and hang out for the night. I’m leaving for who knows where tomorrow.” She set her bag down by the coat rack and wandered into the kitchen.

“What do you mean?” Jody asked her. “You’re doing okay, right?”

Claire grimaced. “As good as I can be. Castiel dropped by a couple days ago.”

Jody sat down across from Claire. “Oh? How are they? I haven’t heard from Sam and Dean in a while. And Jack… he’s doing good now?” Jody frowned when Claire didn’t respond. “Claire?”

“I have no idea how Jack is doing,” Claire said quietly. “And I don’t know about Sam and Dean either. That’s why he came to me. Cas said they’re missing. Sam and Dean. He hasn’t seen them in months.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

“We’re going to stay for a while,” Claire informed the group of heroes after returning from the library. “I think there’s a connection here. You get a two year deal,” she said to Henry, “and two years ago is when the Winchester’s went missing.”

Cas looked at Claire in surprise. “I thought you wanted to leave. We interfered with a deal.”

Claire waved him off. “That was before I made the connection. If we stay, whichever demon made the deal will return to find out why their pet is dead. We trap it and we can find out where Sam and Dean went.”

“You want to use my son as bait?” Regina asked dangerously. “He’s a  _ child _ !”

Claire’s eyes flashed. “Look. Your son will never be safe. The only way out of a deal is to kill the demon who holds the contract. That will be whichever demon your son made the deal with in the first place. It will keep coming after him until his insides are painting the walls and his soul is rotting in hell.” Claire glared at her. “Trust us. We know.”

Emma crosses her arms. “Then tell us how to kill those things and  _ we _ will protect Henry ourselves.”

Cas drew his angel blade. “This is how. You stab the hellhound with one of these. Unfortunately, angel blades are in short supply and short of stealing one from another angel, you will not get your hands on one.”

“Then we’ll just have to steal one,” Killian shrugged. He jumped backwards when he found himself face to face with Cas and a blade pressed against his neck.

“You will do no such thing,” Cas said flatly. “There shouldn’t be anything supernatural in your world. No angels will exist here for you to steal a blade from. You need us to help.”

“Castiel, I need you to get Jack,” Claire said absently. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

“You think we can’t handle a crossroads demon by ourselves?” Cas asked.

“I do appreciate the concern Castiel, but Jack is Lucifer’s kid. Liable to turn to the demons side at any time. He might be able to get the information out of it better than we could.”

“Jack can’t come,” Castiel said abruptly.

“Lucifer has a kid?” David asked incredulously. “Lucifer like the devil?”

Cas sighed. “Yes,” he snapped. Turning to Claire his eyes flicked towards the hall. “Can we talk?”

* * *

_ Sioux Falls, South Dakota Two Years Ago _

Jody entered the living room of her house to find Claire and Castiel nose to nose, faces screwed up in anger. Claire’s hand was grasping the hilt of an angel blade and Castiel’s hand was grasping Claire’s wrist to keep her from using the blade.

“What are you doing?” Jody exclaimed.

Claire dropped the blade and yanked her hand out of Castiel’s grasp. She gave Cas a scathing look before storming out of the room.

Cas closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them and picked up the dropped blade.

“Castiel.”

“My apologies,” Cas said in his gravelly voice. “We we just speaking about my request.”

“Speaking of that,” Jody hissed, “why Claire? Couldn’t you bring Mary or Bobby with you?” She crosses her arms. “Or Jack? I assume he’s fine now that you feel like you can leave him alone without worry.”

“I do not want to worry her or Bobby,” Castiel said quietly. “It may be nothing. The normal rules don’t seem the apply to the Winchester’s. It’s only been a month. Perhaps it is just a case.”

“And Jack?” Jody prompted.

“He’s off hunting,” Cas answered after a moment’s hesitation.

Jody was silent. Then she shook her head. “Castiel. Where is Jack?”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Claire and Cas stood in the hallway.

“What?” Claire demanded.

Castiel sighed. “I don’t know where Jack is.”

“Call him,” Claire told him.

Cas sighed. “I  _ can’t _ , Claire. Jack… Jack went after Sam and Dean. He seemed to think it was his fault.” Cas reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “About three weeks after Sam and Dean disappeared, I found this in Jack’s room at the Bunker.”

* * *

_ Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Two Years Ago _

“Castiel. Where is Jack?”

Cas didn’t answer Jody for a long minute. He looked away. “Jack  _ is _ off hunting. He’s hunting for Sam and Dean.”

“Without you?” Jody asked suspiciously. “Why is he hunting without you?”

“Three weeks after Sam and Dean disappeared, Jack left a note for me in his room at the Bunker,” Cas explained reluctantly. “He blames himself for Sam and Dean leaving, but I told him countless times that it wasn’t his fault.”

“Why contact Claire?” Jody again asked him. “Mary and Bobby both like Jack, and Sam and Dean are Mary’s children.”

“Bobby refuses to help so long as Jack is involved,” Cas forced out. “He has developed a… dislike for Jack recently. Mary… Mary is unable to help.” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. Claire is the only person I can trust to help me.” In a flutter of wings, Castiel was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the Supernatural arc has begun! I’m super excited about this. At the time of this A/N the last Supernatural episode I’ve seen is Changing Channels (S05 E08). Hopefully before writing Chapter Two I will have finished season five and be starting season six. I know Claire returns in season ten and that’s when she goes to Jody but I’m not clear on the specifics exactly so forgive me if I got things wrong.
> 
> So obviously we know where this takes place OUAT timeline wise but not Supernatural timeline wise. Okay so this happens at some point after season fourteen. I do not know what will happen in the coming episodes of season fourteen but I should be able to make adjustments as needed. Assuming Sam, Dean, Jack, and Cas make it out alive by the end of the season fourteen finale.
> 
> (Edit: I am all caught up and extremely horrified at the ending of Season 14. Nevertheless, I disregard a lot. All you need to know is that I am keeping Jack having lost his soul; Jack and the Winchesters reconcile and work to fix Jack; Chuck does...nothing, as in he does not interfere and do something terrible. That’s basically it.)
> 
> In the coming chapters, the connection between the two worlds will be explained and it shouldn’t be as confusing as the Infinite Universe was to explain.
> 
> Hey do you guys like the THEN and NOW things at the beginning? That’s what I think I’ll be doing for this arc.
> 
> Chapter Two: Conscience; flashbacks to Jack, the heroes are introduced to a new supernatural being, and Claire and Cas drama ensues.


	2. Conscience

_ Now Playing: Behind Blue Eyes by The Who _

_ “No,” Claire growled. “Tell me we did NOT just interfere with a deal.” _

_ **THEN:** _

_ **♫** No one knows what it's like **♫** _

_ “Which one of you came back from the dead?” _

_ “Me,” Robin offered. _

_ **♫** To be the bad man To be the sad man **♫** _

_ “You want to know how much of my soul I had to burn off to kill Michael,” Jack said. “I don’t know.” _

_ **♫** Behind blue eyes **♫** _

_ “Sam and Dean Winchester,” Castiel said. “They’ve gone missing.” _

_ **♫** And no one knows what it's like **♫** _

_ Emma stared at Henry in shock. “I don’t understand, Henry. Ever since we came back, it’s just been one lie after another.” _

_ **♫** To be hated To be faded to telling only lies **♫** _

_ “There shouldn’t be anything supernatural in your world,” Cas explained. “You need us to help.” _

_ **♫** But my dreams they aren't as empty **♫** _

_ “Castiel, I need you to get Jack,” Claire said. _

_ “Jack can’t come,” Cas said abruptly. _

_ **♫** As my conscience seems to be **♫** _

_ Jody was silent. Then she shook her head. “Castiel. Where is Jack?” _

_ **♫** I have hours, only lonely My love is vengeance **♫** _

_ Cas reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “About three weeks after Sam and Dean disappeared, I found this in Jack’s room at the Bunker.” _

_ **♫** That's never free **♫** _

** _NOW:_ **

* * *

_ Lebanon, Kansas, Two Years Ago _

Jack paced around his room anxiously. He heard a flutter of wings.

“Jack!”

Jack scrambled to open the door. Castiel was standing in the hallway.

“Did you find them?” Jack asked eagerly.

Cas shook his head. “No. I went to search the area of their last hunt. Nothing unnatural about it.”

“There was a lot of demonic signs right?” Jack said as they walked to the main room. He sat down in front of the map. “So demons did this. Sam and Dean wouldn’t just leave.”

“There was no trace of demons,” Cas said shaking his head. “If there were demons, those demons have been gone for years.”

“Crossroad?” Jack suggested. “Those don’t really leave the same trace as your average demon. Was there a crossroads in town?”

“Nothing to indicate it’s been used for a deal before,” Cas said shaking his head. 

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Claire read the letter silently. She sighed. “Okay. So Jack is gone too. That would have been great to know Castiel!” She shoved the letter back into Castiel’s hands. “You know, I wondered why you didn’t pick Jack. Why you picked me out of any other hunter to go with you on your mission to find the wayward brothers you so adore. Why not Mary or Bobby? Surely the woman would love to help find her own sons. First of all, why not Jack? He sees you three as parental figures anyway, so he’s as good as Sam and Dean’s son. Why would you leave him out of this? Now I know.” She tilted her head back against the doorframe. “I don’t understand you, Cas,” Claire said calmly. She looked at him from the side. “You lie and deceive people all the time. How can I trust you anymore?”

“Hey,” Emma said walking over. She raised an eyebrow at the obvious hostility. “Heard raised voices. You two okay?”

Cas didn’t say anything. Claire sighed and moved to rejoin the rest of the group.

“Okay,” Claire said briskly. “We know the demon knew about Dean Winchester’s deal for his brother. I don’t know much, but I’m assuming Lilith told all crossroads demons to make sure any deal Dean made was one year.”

“That does not narrow down the list,” Castiel pointed out.

Claire cleared her throat. “The demon either has a master plan or was instructed to give Henry two years. Why two years though?”

“It would go unnoticed,” Killian said casually. “What?” he asked at everyone’s surprised looks. “Think about it. If you were a crossroads demon, the first thing a...hunter will do is check back ten years when they come across a victim. If not ten years, then maybe check a year back. Who’s going to check two years back?”

“Sam and Dean would,” Castiel said.

“So the demon goes after them first,” Regina said slowly. “Then it’s free to collect on its deals in peace.” At the inquisitive looks she received, Regina shrugged. “It’s what I would have done.”

* * *

_ Lebanon, Kansas, Two Years Ago _

Castiel poked his head into Jack’s bedroom. “Jack?”

Jack looked up from his book. “What is it? Have you found them?” he asked eagerly.

“Not yet,” Cas said disappointedly. “I’m going to speak to Donatello. See if he has any information. Just… keep looking for… anything,” Castiel trailed off glancing at the discarded books piled on one side of the room. The amount of discarded books was significantly larger than the four or five books Jack still had untouched.

“I’ll go with you,” Jack said standing up. “I can’t just sit here looking at books. I have my powers back, so let me help.”

“No,” Cas said shaking his head. “Jack, we still don’t know how much of your soul is gone. When Sam didn’t have his soul, he was different. Donatello thinks you’re okay, but I’m not sure.”

Jack sat back down. “I can help, Castiel.” His eyes flared a golden color for a second.

Cas stared at him sadly. “No, Jack. Not like this.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

“So an angel and a hunter,” Lucy said. She and Henry were sitting at a table outside Granny’s.

Henry grimaced. “I suppose it’s better than demons.”

“Right,” Lucy nodded. She shifted awkwardly. “Look, I hate to do this. Now of all times, but…”

Henry’s expression turned cold. “You have to go,” he finished.

An uncomfortable silence descended upon them. Lucy traced the table patterns and Henry stared into the distance.

“Promise me one thing?” Lucy asked hesitantly, breaking the silence. “Don’t die, Henry. Get out of this deal and go find yourself someone you really truly love. When you do, if you have a little girl along the lines… would you name her after poor little Lucy Pevensie? Your silly friend who had a silly dream.”

Henry sighed. “Lucy, you aren’t silly,” he said quietly. “I was. I’m the author of the book. I should have thought about it. This… everything… it’s my fault.” He took the author’s pen from his pocket. “I snapped this in half once. Before I realized I needed to write the stories for what they were.” He held up the pen. “I could change whatever I want now. I’m going to hell anyway. Literally. I can change your story,” he offered.

Lucy shook her head tearfully. “No, Henry. You can’t.” She stood up slowly. “Goodbye, Henry. I…” she trailed off, seemingly unable to say anything to possibly make her leaving somewhat okay.

Henry looked down at the ground. “Goodbye, Lucy.”

Lucy stood up shakily. She walked slowly away from Henry and towards a wardrobe that appeared. She paused, hand over the handle. Then she swung open the door and closed it behind herself. When Henry finally looked up, Lucy and the wardrobe were both gone.

* * *

_ Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Two Years Ago _

Claire was sitting on her old bed thinking about what Castiel wanted her to do.

“You asked me to go with you to find your friends,” Claire said quietly. “Sam and Dean are great hunters, I won’t deny them that, but why me?” She looked up. “Castiel, why me? Why do you have to come to your  _ dead _ vessel’s daughter for help? Do you know how it feels to look at you knowing you are the reason my father is dead?”

The room was silent, giving no indication if Castiel heard Claire or not.

“You know,” Claire continued, “when I was younger, after you explained that dad let an angel in, I dreamed that one day, when this was all over, Castiel would appear in my mother and my’s house to say, ‘I am so sorry you lived without him for all this time. Here he is, unharmed. He will be rewarded greatly in Heaven when he arrives.’ That’s what I use to think. But years passed without any information about my father. Then I come to find out that the vessel the great Castiel is using isn’t even a real person. He was brought back in my father’s body after Lucifer exploded him. Then again after Leviathans exploded him. I don’t even know if Naomi pulling him from Purgatory counts as another resurrection, but…” she paused for breath. “I thought I could come to terms with this. I did. I know you’re trying to make up for everything, and for that I couldn’t be more grateful, but I hate you so much.” She inhaled sharply. “I will help you with this, but trust me, I won’t make it easy on you.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Three women met outside Granny’s at night.

“Claire Novak and Castiel’s presence is dangerous,” the first woman said. She had dark hair and was carrying a bag full of student papers. “I like my life here. I’m a teacher. I don’t want hunters ruining it. We need to be discreet.”

The second one huffed. “Right, because being a teacher is so great.” She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. “But she’s right. Hunters in Storybrooke is trouble.”

“Perfect,” the third said sarcastically. She had jet black hair. “We can’t uproot, that’s suspicious. Besides, they aren’t even looking for us. They fought off the hellhound for Henry Mills and they’re going to trap the demon or whatever. They aren’t looking for anything besides that.”

“So let’s remove them from the equation,” the first suggested.

The third looked shocked. “What happened to discreet?”

“No one will know it’s us targeting them. It will just be the new villain they can pin the blame on. Or the demon that holds the contract.” The second one smiled. “Anyway, we better be getting home. Out late together. Prime suspects.”

* * *

_ Lebanon, Kansas, Two Years Ago _

“You want me to  _ babysit _ a nephilim?” Rowena asked Castiel incredulously. “Jack is a fully capable human-” she cut herself off with an eye roll “-angle. Whatever you wish to call it. Can’t he take care of himself?”

Castiel sighed. “He trusts you for some reason. I need someone here with him while I look for Sam and Dean. Since  _ you _ haven’t located them,  _ I _ have to look for them.” He paused before he got to the bedroom hallway of the Bunker. “Jack has very little of his soul left after defeating Michael. I would return his soul, but he is part angel and when angels die-”

“-they go to the Empty,” Rowena finished. “Yes, yes. Haven’t you escaped there the once?”

“I can’t go back,” Castiel said seriously. “I bargained for Jack’s life. As soon as I allow myself to be happy…” He trailed off. “Going back may bypass to the part where the Empty takes me forever. This time, I don’t think I can escape.”

“Death put Sam’s soul back, did he not?” Rowena pointed out. “Could he not do the same for Jack?”

Castiel didn’t respond as he continued to Jack’s room. He knocked on the door. “Jack,” he called. “Rowena’s here. I’m going out to search for Sam and Dean. Jack?” He pushed the door open. “Jack?”

The room was empty. Jack wasn’t there. His bed was neatly made and a note rested on his pillow.

“Oh, bollocks,” Rowena said peering over Castiel’s shoulder.

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Cas reread Jack’s letter.

_ Castiel, _

_ It’s my fault they’re gone. I have enough of my soul to know that. Sam and Dean are the best hunters I know and I need to help find them. Please trust me Castiel. I will be safe, I promise. I carved Enochian into my ribs like you did for Sam and Dean. _

_ I don’t have my soul. Well, I don’t have most of it, I guess. I feel different. I know how I should feel and how I should react, but I guess I just… don’t. _

_ I killed Mary Winchester. Accidentally, yes. That’s why they left. I know you thought keeping me locked in my room would be okay, that we could fix me. You believed in me Castiel and I let you down. _

_ Jack _

Cas barely finished reading the letter when a woman with jet black hair burst into his room. He jumped up alarmed.

“I know what you are,” she whispered. Her hands grasped the air around her neck. She made a choking sound. “Castiel, they’re going to kill you and the girl.” The woman’s eyes widened in panic as her air supply finally ran out.

Castiel reached out a hand to try to heal her, but the woman shook her head.

“Please,” she choked out. “I… want… out.”

* * *

_ Lebanon, Kansas, Two Years Ago _

“You know, it makes you wish for the good old days when I was trying to kill Fergus,” Rowena chatted idly while she and Cas searched the Bunker for Jack, “and you and the Winchester’s trapped me and forced me to translate spells for you.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “Yes because we all enjoyed that.”

Rowena shrugged. “I’m just saying. Don’t you miss the simpler times. See a monster, kill the monster.” She peeked into a door. “Mmmm. Are you sure Jack couldn’t get out of the Bunker?”

“He shouldn’t have been able to leave his room,” Cas murmured. “It was warded to keep him in.”

“Fighting the Darkness,” Rowena continued, remembering the previous escapades of the Winchesters. “That was a good time.”

“Yes well, as Dean would say, here for a good time not a long time,” Cas said absently. He touched the walls causing the sigils to appear. Slash marks and blast marks appeared as well. “He destroyed the warding.”

“Days ago,” Rowena observed. “Why is he only now leaving?”

Cas turned around and walked out of the room. “See if you can find him. I’m going to head to Heaven to talk to Kelly.”

“Kelly?” Rowena repeated.

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

“She just forced the door open and collapsed,” Cas told Emma.

Emma, Killian, and David had taped off the room and were staring down at the body of a black haired woman.

“You are an angel aren’t you,  _ mate _ ?” Killian asked bitingly. “Why didn’t you help her?”

“She wouldn’t let me,” Cas said quietly. “She said she wanted out.”

“That means she was probably depressed,” Emma sighed. “You should have saved her and we could have gotten her help. That’s what we do.”

Castiel’s hands clenched the hex bag he had found in the woman’s purse. His expression remained neutral.

“My apologies but this woman would have died eventually. She wanted  _ out _ .” Cas walked to the door and ducked under the police tape. “I need to speak to Claire.”

Emma, Killian, and David blinked and Castiel was gone.

* * *

Claire jumped, spilling her water as Cas appeared at her table in Granny’s.

“Don’t do that!” She hissed.

Cas placed the hex bag in front of her. “This was in the dead woman’s purse. I think she was trying to warn me about some witches.”

Claire moved the hex bag to a small plate and lit the bag. She watched the flames turn the bag to ash. The flames suddenly went out before they could finish disintegrating the bag and it’s contents.

“Children shouldn’t play with fire,” Regina said disapprovingly. “Especially not in public areas.” She slid into the booth next to Claire.

Claire glared at her. “This is a hex bag. It needs to be destroyed before witches can use it to do harm. More harm than they already did.”

Regina raised her eyebrows and picked up the hex bag. “Do tell,” she said as the hex bag caught fire in her hands. “I’m waiting,” she added as she dumped the ashes onto the table in front of Claire.

Claire glanced from the ashes to Regina. “Okay,” she agreed. “Unlike you people here, witches in our world usually sold their soul to get powers. According to one of the witches we know, there’s three types. The Borrowers are the ones who sold their soul or traded something of value for magic. The Naturals are the ones like yourself, born with the ability. The Students are the ones who practice and learn.” She glanced at Cas. “So either these were Students or Naturals. Based on the circumstances of where they live and all. Belle said that everyone in the Forest has the capacity for magic, correct?”

Regina nodded slowly. “Well, yes, but based on what you’re telling me about the three types, I might elaborate more. Everyone has the capacity and ability to learn and perform magic. Some, like myself or Emma, would be the Naturals and magic comes easy to us. The Dark One would be like a Borrower, and someone like Belle would be a student. However, Belle would never be able to perform magic. She has the ability to do so since she was born in the Forest, but she’ll never make sticks hover an inch even to save her life.” Regina shook her head. “I don’t think Students would exist in our world. To perform magic, you need to be able to use the magic. Bloodlines and circumstances matter. I was born to a powerful sorcerer, and Emma was the product of True Love. Gold is the Dark One. Yes, we have to be taught, but it would be impossible to teach someone with no ability to use magic.”

Cas looked at Claire. “We need to speak to her. She’ll know what’s going on.”

“Haha, yeah, no,” Claire said sarcastically. “We are not bringing Rowena here.”

* * *

_ The Heaven of Kelly Kline (1978-2017), Two Years Ago _

Castiel pushed open the gleaming white door.

“Five minutes, Castiel,” the angel Anael said to him.

Cas nodded his acknowledgement. He stepped into Kelly’s heaven.

“Castiel?”

Cas turned and smiled at Kelly Kline. “Kelly, good to see you. How has everything been since…” he trailed off.

Kelly shrugged. “You know, same old same old.” She got quiet. “I, uh, I suppose you’re here about Jack?”

“Kelly,” Castiel began, “I’m worried about him. He killed Nick and Mary. Now he’s off on his own and I’m not sure if the world is safe.”

“You promised to protect him and keep him safe,” Kelly said quietly. “Castiel, please. Jack isn’t bad. You know that. His soul is just… damaged. You can help him. I know you can. Please don’t give up on him.”

“He thinks Sam and Dean left because of him,” Cas added paying Kelly no attention. “He said it was his fault and that he needed to fix this.” He looked at Kelly. “You must know where he is, Kelly. Please help me find him.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Claire glared at the door. She was leaning against Regina’s couch, arms crossed, and glaring at the door.

“She seems upset,” Snow observed.

Claire huffed. “Well, a witch is on her way, so forgive me if I don’t  _ quite _ like this plan.”

Castiel appeared with a red headed woman in front of the door. The woman smiled at Claire.

“Hello, Claire,” her Scottish accent coming through.

“Rowena,” Claire said curtly. She placed a hand on her hip where a barely noticeable shape was hidden. “Witch killing. One toe out of line,” she mimed shooting.

“I hear you loud and clear,” Rowena assured Claire. “Now tell me about your witch problem.”

“One less witch problem if you stayed away,” Claire mumbled.

Rowena rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to find the Winchester’s too, Claire. Once I help you with your witch problem, I’ll be out of your hair to continue the search back in our world.” She looked at Cas. “So what did you say happened?”

“The witch broke into my room. She said she knew I’m an angel and Claire is a hunter,” Cas explained. “She warned us that they were going to kill us. I think she meant other witches. There was a hex bag in her purse.” He handed Rowena a plastic bag with the ashes of the hex bag.

“Mmm. You’re dealing with a borrower witch,” Rowena said absently as she inspected the ashes.

“Alright. How do we stop one of those?” Emma asked loudly.

Rowena looked at Emma blankly. “Dear, I don’t mean to assume, but you don’t appear to really be able to deal with the supernatural.” She looked at Claire. “You two might want to take care of this yourselves.”

Claire pulled out a gun. She pulled out the cartridge and showed the group of heroes the bullets. “Witch killing bullets. I hate to say it, but Rowena’s right. None of you have ever killed before. You’re fairytale heroes. We’ll take care of it.”

Regina crossed her arms. “Absolutely not. You can’t leave us out of this.”

“Have you ever killed anyone, dear?” Rowena asked pleasantly. “Because I can assure you, killing a witch is different than killing a monster.”

“It feels like killing a human,” Claire added. “So, yes, we can leave you out.”

“To answer your question,” Regina said, ignoring Claire, “I have killed people. I killed thousands as the Evil Queen. I stuck my hand in their chests and pulled out their hearts. I made them watch as I crushed their heart slowly and painfully.” Regina looked highly irritated. “My son has gotten caught up in this mess and now it is my duty as his mother to help him.”

Emma took the cartridge out of Claire’s hands and loaded the gun. She smiled and held it out for Claire to take. “Guess you better start teaching us some of this lore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know the idea of the heroes as hunters seems a little skewed. The way I see it is that the Once heroes are your classic hero archetype for the most part. They do good for good’s sake because it’s the right thing to do and they don’t want to hurt people. The hunters are your anti-hero archetype. They run on the wrong side of the law (yes I know it’s usually because the law doesn’t know about monsters) and one trait is “fallen angel” which can be used quite literally in Castiel’s case. There is a chart that compares the two here: https://writerswrite.co.za/heroes-and-anti-heroes-whats-the-difference/
> 
> Anyway, putting the hero and anti-hero to work together seems off and I know. There is a method to my madness. This arc is about Henry’s deal and the fact that there are supernatural creatures appearing where they shouldn’t be appearing as well as the search for Sam and Dean. At the end of the arc, the goal is for the characters to gain a bigger understanding of the world, of the infinite universe, at large. I have big plans for Claire in specific, and I haven’t decided anything definitive yet for the Once characters.
> 
> Alright, so we had Regina bring up her past as the Evil Queen. I wasn’t sure on how to convey the emotions of that scene. Taking into account the amount of regret Regina has for what she did, but factoring in that at the moment she was an angry mother that was being denied the right to protect her child. So I feel like she would be more prone to say that in her anger, but we shall see what dredging up old memories will do to her.
> 
> AND GUESS WHAT? HAVE YOU NOTICED THE CHAPTER TITLES? THEY ARE NO LONGER THE SAME AS THE EPISODES!
> 
> After some careful consideration on my part, I have decided that I wanted to start changing up the chapter titles hence Chapter One being called The Truth is Out There (in regards to the Winchester’s the truth is out there speech) and Chapter Two being called Conscience.
> 
> Preview - Chapter Three: Seeker..... 
> 
> “What the hell kind of good does it do to tell them?” Claire said angrily. “They shouldn’t be involved in this!”  
“And yet they are, but you are being so unhelpful,” Cas countered. “Don’t you remember how it felt to want to hunt down every monster? You are denying them this right, and it’s not fair to them.”  
“It is my job to deny them that!” Claire exclaimed. “We should take care of the problem and not lose precious time training them.”  
Cas pulled Claire further down the hallway and then turned the corner. Neal peered out to see the end of a tan trench coat swish around the corner. He let out a breath and headed for Regina’s closed office door.


	3. Seeker

_ Now Playing: Ramblin Man by The Allman Brothers Band _

_ Dean Winchester faced Naomi. _

_ “He’s been unstable in the past,” Naomi said. _

_** THEN: **_

_ ♫ Lord, I was born a ramblin' man ♫ _

_ “Why two years though?” Claire wondered. _

_ “It would go unnoticed,” Killian said. _

_ ♫ Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can ♫ _

_ “Castiel, why me? Why do you have to come to your  _ dead  _ vessel’s daughter for help?” _

_ ♫ And when it's time for leavin' I hope you'll understand ♫ _

_ “Magic is dangerous. It always comes with a price,” a young Baelfire said to Wendy. “Magic is the reason I left. I lost everything because of it.” _

_ ♫ That I was born a ramblin' man ♫ _

_ “This is a hex bag. It needs to be destroyed before witches can use it to do harm.” _

_ ♫ Lord, I was born a ramblin' man ♫ _

_ “Magic destroyed my family.” _

_ ♫ Lord, I was born a ramblin' man ♫ _

_ Emma took the cartridge out of Claire’s hands and loaded the gun. She smiled and held it out for Claire to take. “Guess you better start teaching us some of this lore.” _

_ ♫ Lord, I was born a ramblin' man ♫ _

_** NOW: **_

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Neal watched the new arrivals from his corner booth at Granny’s. They seemed oddly out of place in a town full of strange things. He hadn’t yet been clued in on about their arrival and what they seemed to be doing here. As he’d gathered from reading the storybook from his son’s previous life, the new arrivals tended to have sinister plans for the heroes. Yet, so far the blonde girl and the trench coat guy hadn’t been forced out of town. If anything, the heroes appeared to be getting along decently.

But there was something that just wasn’t sitting right with Neal. It was almost like a tingle of electricity at the back of his neck. Something was going on with them. Something  _ otherworldly _ .

Whatever they were. Whatever reason they were here for. Neal decided he would find out the answers. This concerned his son. The pair of strangers showed up during an invisible dog’s attack at Emma and Hook’s wedding. The dog was gunning for Henry until Lucy distracted it and then again until the two strangers showed up. The two strangers who fought like a well oiled machine and who knew exactly what to do in order to stop the evil dog.

Neal looked at the strangers’ table. The girl was on her laptop. It looked like she was scrolling through pages of God knows what. The man was speaking to the girl in hushed tones. Neal only managed to catch snippets of their conversation.

“...catch...might be...weak and inexperienced...” the man said.

The girl paused in her scrolling to roll her eyes. “Catch can...up his…”

The man seemed to give her a scolding look. “Claire. I don’t...British Men of Letters...past that...Sam and Dean trust...need this...knows more than…”

“Sam and Dean are...because...catch...his fault...doesn’t matter... _ I _ don’t trust…” The girl, Claire, closed her laptop. “I’ll see you later, Cas.” She headed to the back of Granny’s to go up to the rooms area.

* * *

“Hunting is not something for the faint of heart,” Claire said as she paced back and forth in front of the heroes who had gathered in the Mayor’s office. “If you get in this life, you will be in it forever. No take backs. Once you start, they know you. If you get good, well, they’ll  _ all _ know you, and sooner rather than later, you kick start the apocalypse and the world falls to shit. I know you don’t think we should be keeping you out, but trust me when I say this. Every time someone has tried to get out, they end up dead or worse. Still want in?”

“For Henry,” Killian said back calmly. “Trust me when I say this. This family will always find each other and they will always have each other's backs. Now I don’t care what you say. We always find a way.”

Claire looked impressed. “Okay. Basics of hunting it is.” She held up a box of salt. “Salt is your best defense. “Salt rounds don’t kill, but they pack a punch. Salt rounds are more effective on ghosts and demons. They’ll dispel a spirit temporarily and hurt a demon, but neither can cross a salt line. To get rid of a ghost, you need to destroy it’s tether to the world. Usually that means salting and burning their remains, but sometimes it’s just an object or a lock of hair. If the person was cremated, that’s when you have to get creative.”

“Grave desecration,” Belle said flatly. Unlike the others, she was taking notes, but had faltered in her writing when Claire described how to get rid of ghosts.

“Call it what you will,” Claire shrugged. “Grave desecration is better than letting a vengeful spirit kill innocent people. Cas, demons if you would.”

Cas pulled out his angel blade. “Demons can’t be killed as easily. You can trap them in a devil's trap or exorcise them, but the actual killing requires a special weapon.” He held up the blade. “An angel’s blade can kill demons. It’s one of the few that can. A decade ago there was a demon named Ruby. She possessed a blade that could kill demons. Sam and Dean were deceived by her and she paid the price. Death by her own weapon. I don’t have her knife. We think that it’s with Sam and Dean, but Ruby’s knife is another weapon that can kill demons.”

“But the Colt can kill any monster,” Claire said mischievously. “There are five creatures that can’t be killed by it, but we’ve only come across one. Archangels can’t be killed by the Colt.”

“Unfortunately, the Colt was broken by Dagon, a Prince of Hell,” Cas said, glancing at Claire with a frustrated look. “Sam was attempting to fix it. I fail to see how this information is of any import.”

“Every hunter knows about the Colt,” Claire said smugly. “I mean, what kind of a hunter would one be without knowing that.”

“Claire!” Cas said sharply. “I need to talk to you. Outside.”

* * *

Neal followed the strangers to Regina’s office. He waited for a few minutes until he heard raised voices.

“Claire!” the man said sharply. “I need to talk to you. Outside.”

Neal quickly ducked out of the way and hid around the corner.

The man and the girl stormed out of the office.

“What the hell kind of good does it do to tell them?” Claire said angrily. “They shouldn’t be involved in this!”

“And yet they are, but you are being so unhelpful,” Cas countered. “Don’t you remember how it felt to want to hunt down every monster? You are denying them this right, and it’s not fair to them.”

“It is my  _ job _ to deny them that!” Claire exclaimed. “We should take care of the problem and not lose precious time training them.”

Cas pulled Claire further down the hallway and then turned the corner. Neal peered out to see the end of a tan trench coat swish around the corner. He let out a breath and headed for Regina’s closed office door.

“Hello,” a scottish voice said behind Neal. He turned to see a red headed woman. She smiled at him. “You’re new. I don’t recall meeting  _ you _ with the other  _ heroes _ .”

Neal eyed her outstretched hand distrustfully. “Uh huh. And you are…?”

“Rowena Macleod,” the woman said, hand still extended for a handshake. “You?”

“I meant your… other life,” Neal said slowly. “Who were you in the Forest?”

“The forest?” Rowena asked in confusion. “I beg your pardon? What forest?”

The door flung open.

“Neal,” Emma said uncertainly. “What are you doing here?” She looked over Neal’s shoulder to see Rowena. “With her?” she added unimpressed.

“I’m not the bad guy,” Rowena said carelessly, pushing past Neal to enter the room. “Where’s the angel and his daughter?”

“You know, I don’t think Claire would appreciate that description,” Belle said. Her eyes widened.

“You’re right, Belle,” Claire said from the doorway, arms crossed. “I don’t appreciate it.” She entered the room, followed by Castiel.

“Hello, Claire,” Rowena said pleasantly. “You didn’t mention we were bringing another into this.”

“We aren’t,” Claire said shortly. Turning to face Cas, she said, “ _ You _ however, are going to go back to our world and get some information on time travel and the other nonsense that has occurred from the Bunker.”

“From Ketch, you mean,” Cas said, raised eyebrows.

Claire’s jaws clenched together, the muscles in her face sticking out like a sore thumb. “Get the damn information!” she said in irritation. “Now! What are you waiting for?”

Cas was silent for a moment before nodding. In a flutter of wings, he disappeared.

“Please tell me what’s going on,” Neal said, deadly serious.

* * *

_ Real World, 20 Years Ago, 1992 _

Two men stood at the waterfront along the eastern coast of the United States.

“You retrieved the necessary information?” the first man asked the second. He was an older man in a formal suit, while the second was a younger man with dark hair.

The second man nodded slowly, but cocked his head to the side. “I saw the djinns’ gathering place. Are you sure our presence will go unnoticed by hell?”

“Angels have walked this earth for centuries without word getting out to Lucifer and his cronies. Besides, angels and demons… well, they don’t exist here,” the man said. “We just need to clean up a mess of monsters that managed to escape to here.” He began walking away from the other man, but paused. “Castiel, I expect you’ll report back to Heaven on this?”

“Of course, Zachariah.”

The second man, Castiel, stared after the man unflinchingly before turning back to face the water. He heard a splash followed by sputters. Castiel squinted to see a young boy attempting to swim to shore. He hopped over the fence and landed on the sandy shore. Wading into the water, he reached the boy and pulled him ashore.

The boy sputtered and coughed. Water sprayed from his mouth.

“Are you alright?” Castiel asked. Making sure no one was looking, he pressed two fingers to the boy’s temple to heal him.

“Who are you?” the boy rasped. “Where am I?”

“Somewhere in North Carolina in the United States,” Castiel answered in concern. “What’s your name?”

The boy hesitated. “I… it’s Neal. Neal Cassidy.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Neal was glaring at Emma. “Monsters? Monsters? You expect me to believe that a  _ hellhound and a demon _ are trying to take Henry’s soul to  _ Hell _ and that these people, these  _ hunters _ , can help him?” He shook his head, laughing under his breath. “Look, I know you guys are from the future, but you introduced me to  _ my son _ , Emma. You cannot do that and expect me to sit around patiently waiting for a chance to be his father. Do not leave me out of this.”

“They  _ can  _ help us,” Henry said to Neal. He looked uncomfortable. “I sold my soul, Dad. I sold it so Robin would come back to life. I thought I was going to get out of the deal, but it turns out getting out of deals is harder than it sounds.” He sighed. “Lucy and I never looked up anything about these monsters or how to kill them. Claire, Castiel, and Rowena are helping us.”

“Castiel?” Neal asked hesitantly.

“He’s an angel of the Lord,” Henry said, attempting to mimic Castiel’s low voice.

Neal gapped at Henry. “I know who he is,” he said in a quiet voice. “He saved my life after I escaped Neverland.”

“What?” David asked in astonishment. “So you knew who he was this whole time?”

“No,” Neal said, shaking his head. “He looked different last time. He had a different… vessel, I guess.” He looked at Claire. “I, uh, kinda overheard you earlier. What exactly were you talking about?”

Claire’s eyes flashed angrily. “You eavesdropped on us?”

“You were arguing in a public area,” Neal protested. “What did you want me to do? Plug my ears? Besides, if I’m right, you two must be hunters or other angels and in that case I can help you explain hunting. Castiel taught me the basics while he was here.”

Rowena smiled sweetly. “Sorry, boy. I’m no angel.”

“She’s a witch,” Claire said tonelessly. “A real pain in the-”

“Watch your language,” Rowena gasped dramatically. “What would Castiel say if he heard you speak like that?”

“Like his  _ boyfriend _ hasn’t said worse,” Claire muttered darkly.

Neal did a double take. “His what? Castiel, the perfect angel of heaven has a boyfriend?”

“ _ Had _ ,” Claire corrected. “It wasn’t really official either. More of the fact that everyone around them knew they loved each other, but it doesn’t matter right now. He’s missing.” Claire flipped open a journal. “No reason why or any clues as to where.” She sighed. “Okay. You want to know what we were talking about?”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, A Few Hours Earlier _

“...Ketch thinks based on the information these witches might be new as in only existing due to this timeline being created. He and Rowena say they’re probably weak and inexperienced,” Cas said.

Claire paused in her scrolling to roll her eyes. “Ketch can shove his theories up his stuck up British-”

Cas seemed to give her a scolding look. “Claire. I don’t particularly like the British Men of Letters, but we have to look past that with Ketch. Sam and Dean trust him enough for information and we need this to save these people. But Ketch definitely knows more than he’s letting on.”

“Sam and Dean are missing because there is too much evil out there and it finally got them. Ketch doesn’t care! Some of that crap they’ve dealt with is his fault. Look, it doesn’t matter if they trust him.  _ I _ don’t trust him.” Claire closed her laptop. “I’ll see you later, Cas.” She headed to the back of Granny’s to go up to the rooms area.

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

“So the murder was due to a witch?” Neal asked for clarification. “But since this world shouldn’t have supernatural creatures you think the witches only exist because of the altered timeline.” He looked at Claire. “How exactly do you know about that?”

“That is a good question,” Gold said suspiciously. “How do you know about the altered timeline?”

“Castiel,” Claire said. “Angels can sense temporal fluctuations. Of course, we don’t know who changed the timeline, but we know someone did.”

“All of us,” Robin said quietly. “All of us except Neal.”

A flutter of wings and Cas reappeared holding a stack of books.

“This was all Ketch had,” Cas said, placing the books down in front of Claire. He looked up to see Neal staring at him. “Um. Hello.”

“Castiel,” Neal said in a strained voice. “Good to see you again.”

* * *

_ Real World, 20 Years Ago, 1992 _

“Do you have magic too then?” Neal asked glumly when Castiel flew them to the hotel suite he had been using.

Castiel blinked. “No. I am an angel of the Lord,” he said seriously. “Do you have magic?”

“My dad does,” Neal said quietly. “Magic ruined our lives. I escaped.” He shuffled to a large couch and sat down. “Why did you bring me here?”

“Angels are to be humankind’s shepards,” Castiel explained. “We serve you so we may help our father’s creations. Do you have any family I can take you to?”

Neal snorted. “No. If I’m right, I’m in the Land Without Magic. Exactly where I want to be. What year is it?”

Castiel blinked. “In this world it is the year 1992. Curious because the world I am from is in the year 2004. 12 years ahead of this one.”

“Your world?” Neal asked curiously. “Can you tell me about your world?”

“The world I am from is full of horrible creatures,” Castiel said sadly. “Ghosts, demons, shapeshifters, and other sorts hurt the unsuspecting humans there. There is a group of people who know of these creatures’ existence and they stop them from hurting anyone ever again. We call them Hunters.”

“And those creatures are in this world too?” Neal asked.

“They shouldn’t be,” Castiel said darkly. “That’s why I’m here. My garrison and I were sent here to stop the creatures. It’s a group of five djinn.”

“What’s a djinn?” Neal asked. “And what’s a garrison? Is that like a team? Do I get to meet other angels?” he continued.

Castiel smiled despite himself. “A djinn can make you see good memories or show you your ideal world, but it’s all in your head. You’re dreaming it. As for my garrison, yes, it is like a team. Perhaps you will get to meet them. My good friend Balthazar is in the garrison. You’ll like him.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Cas cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?” He stared intently at Neal. “You have Enochian on your ribs.”

“It’s Neal,” Neal said slowly. “Neal Cassidy.”

_ I… it’s Neal. Neal Cassidy. _ The words of a little boy echoed in Castiel’s head.

“Neal,” Cas said in realization. “Yes, you were the child I found in the water. I remember you said magic ruined your life, but you are now surrounded by it.”

Neal winced. “Yeah, well, times change. I guess you hunt now?”

“Yes, it has become a necessity for me,” Cas said. He glanced at Claire and Rowena. “My… brothers and sisters were not who I thought they were.”

“I thought they were okay,” Neal said in confusion. “Balthazar seemed-”

“Balthazar is dead,” Cas said abruptly. “We need to focus on finding the demon that made a deal with Henry and we need to know how much damage time travel has done. My last encounter with Fate was when…” he paused and looked away before continuing, “well, the Titanic was unsunk and she went around killing the descendants of the people who shouldn’t have survived.” He opened a book. “If you want to learn how to hunt, start reading. Every hunter has to learn how to research.”

* * *

“You know Castiel?” Emma asked Neal later that day. They were sitting outside Emma and Killian’s house on the porch. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? And what’s up with his attitude?”

“Like I said, he has a different vessel,” Neal explained. “Angels need a willing vessel to possess to walk the earth. I don’t know, maybe he wasn’t needed on Earth anymore. You’re right about one thing though. What  _ is _ up with his attitude? I’ve never seen him like this. Definitely hiding something, but I ain’t asking Claire. Speaking of, what’s her relation to all this?”

“Belle told me,” Emma said. “The vessel Castiel is possessing now is Claire’s father. The guy died a long time ago, but Castiel is still using his body.”

Neal’s eyes widened. “Oh that’s messed up. What the hell is she doing still with him?”

“No clue,” Emma shrugged. “Who’s Balthazar? This friend of Castiel’s you mentioned.”

Neal snorted. “Balthazar was an angel in Castiel’s garrison. Friends with Castiel too, but I guess he died after Castiel went back to heaven or whatever.” Neal frowned. “Probably recently though. Seems like a touchy subject for Castiel.”

“It is,” Emma said, opening her laptop. She showed Neal the page she was on. “In our world, Supernatural is a television show, right? So I did some research and I looked up ‘Balthazar Supernatural’ to find this. Season 6 features Castiel joining forces with a demon named Crowley to find Purgatory so he can use the souls’ power to defeat Raphael. Sam and Dean, the two hunters Claire and Castiel are looking for, enlist Balthazar’s help to stop Castiel.”

Neal peered down the screen. “Castiel kills Balthazar,” he said quietly. “Oh god.”

“It makes me worried about trusting them,” Emma continued. “I mean, so far in what little of their lives the show has aired, they aren’t very trustworthy. I have no idea about Claire because last I know of her was in Season Four and she was like 10 years old. Now she’s what? Twenty?” Emma sighed. “Neal, I don’t know. This wasn’t supposed to be how things went. When we came back we originally wanted to find a way out of this, but then we wanted to make things right. It just seems like by avoiding one catastrophe, we create another.”

* * *

_ Real World, 20 Years Ago, 1992 _

Neal pressed his ear to the door to hear what was going on in the other room.

“You cannot take care of a child,” one voice said.

“He is a human,” Castiel’s voice snapped. “We are their shepards. This one was drowning. If I hadn’t gotten to him-”

“He would have died, yes, I know,” the voice said. “Castiel, you cannot become distracted by the human child.”

“I know, Zachariah,” Castiel answered. “I know, but what should I do instead? Leave him on the streets?”

“Figure it out,” Zachariah hissed. “Then you will report back to Heaven immediately.”

There was a flap of wings and then Castiel opened the door to find a guilty looking Neal staring up at him.

“How much did you hear?” Castiel sighed.

Neal shrunk. “All of it,” he mumbled. “What are you going to do with me?”

Castiel held a hand out towards Neal. There was a searing pain and then it was gone. Castiel looked at Neal apologetically.

“Owwww,” Neal groaned. “What was that?”

“Enochian,” Castiel answered. “I carved it into your ribs. No angels will be able to find you now. Not even me. This,” he grabbed a piece of paper and drew a sigil, “when drawn in blood, will send all angels near you straight to Heaven. Now you remember everything I taught you about monsters?”

“Salt lines to keep out demons and ghosts,” Neal recited. “Holy water burns demons and salt makes ghosts disappear temporarily. Silver hurts most other creatures.” He smiled at Castiel. “I remember.

Castiel managed a smile smile back. “Good. Okay. I’m taking you to a place for other children like you who don’t have a place to live. I’ll be back to see you eventually.”

* * *

_ Storybrooke, Present Day _

Everything was a lie. Lie after lie after lie. He lied about knowing why Sam and Dean mattered so much to the angels as the true vessels. He lied about working with Crowley. He lied when they were searching for the angel tablet. He lied when working with Metatron. Lies and deception was all he’d ever done.

Castiel sat down on the bed in the room he had been given at Granny’s Bed and Breakfast. He had recognized Neal the instant he saw the look of astonishment in the man’s eyes and saw the Enochian carved into his ribs.

When the man had asked about Balthazar, Cas froze. He had almost said the truth he himself had believed for a while. That Balthazar had perished in battle, but he stopped himself because that wasn’t true. Balthazar had died fighting a losing battle. A battle he must have known he would lose from the very beginning.

At first, he blamed Sam and Dean for sending his friend to die. It was easier, he supposed, than assuming the blame for Balthazar’s death himself. Then, he blamed Crowley for filling his head with such thoughts about finding Purgatory. After all, that’s what lead to him becoming a God like entity.

Finally, he allowed himself to take the blame for killing his friend. By then, it was too late. Death followed him and left disaster in her wake. So he kept Claire close. He sentenced Jimmy Novak to death when he asked to use the man as a vessel, but he would be damned if he let Jimmy’s daughter die earlier than 50. He owed Claire that much after taking her father away from her.

* * *

_ Real World, 15 Years Ago, 1997 _

Neal Cassidy was no longer the naive nine year old from Neverland. After waiting a whole year for Castiel and praying to the angel, Neal ditched the orphanage and headed west side. Now fourteen, Neal landed himself in another orphanage in Arkansas.

He had rolled his eyes when they showed him where he’d be sleeping. Like he’d be staying long enough to get used to the place. As long as he stayed a few days with no issues, they’d be off his back and he could slip away again.

The last few years, he wondered if it was even real at all. Had an angel named Castiel actually dropped him off at an orphanage five years ago? Castiel had said he would be back to see him, but now, for Castiel anyway, it was 2009 and who knew what kinds of crazy monsters had cropped up in those five years.

It didn’t matter though. As long as he was away from magic, and magic stayed away from him, Neal would be happy.

Five years later, he met Emma Swan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did promise a slightly Neal-centric chapter! Hope you liked it. I kind of forget to include Neal because he's not a main character of this story, but he is still there!
> 
> If you've been reading between the lines and paying attention to the details, you'll notice that Castiel and Zachariah were in the Land Without Magic as opposed to… the Land With Monsters (let's call it that for now), or the world Supernatural is set in. That will be explained later in this story. But to answer the questions you have, yes, there is a separate Earth for Storybrooke and the world of Supernatural. Perhaps not the infinite universe, but more of a MULTIVERSE?
> 
> The multiverse has been set up by The French Mistake (an episode with Balthazar by the way), so now that we bring Supernatural into the mix, I feel the ability to bring the multiverse along with it. If you don't understand how I came to that conclusion, basically there's the earth Sam and Dean hunt monsters in and there's also the earth where Sam and Dean visited in The French Mistake. Plus infinite others such as Storybrooke Earth.
> 
> So I didn't want to make Neal a hunter because obviously, there aren't supposed to be things to hunt in his world, and that would be very out of character for him, but I wanted to give him knowledge of the other world out there.
> 
> Preview - Chapter Four: The Devil Unknown...
> 
> Claire peered out her door to make sure the coast was clear. Then she dragged a bag full of something rattling from the table and looped it over her shoulder. The blonde hunter headed for the treeline, periodically glancing over her shoulder for any sign of a tail. Finally, Claire arrived at an old farmhouse.
> 
> The hunter made quick work of laying down the proper precautions. She pulled cans of spray paint from the bag and began spraying sigils on the walls and windows. When she was sure no angel or other creature could enter, she pulled another item from her bag. This time a bag of salt which she lined the house with. The last thing she did was clear out a big space and spray a large devils trap on the floor.
> 
> Deciding her work was perfect, Claire set about summoning a demon. She wasn't sure it would even work. When the Winchesters had summoned Crowley, they knew him by name. She did not know the demon she was summoning.
> 
> Claire finished the summoning ritual and waited patiently.
> 
> "Hello, hunter."


	4. The Devil Unknown

_Now Playing: House of the Rising Sun by The Animals_

_"I'm the son of Lucifer. I'm a hunter. I am a Winchester!" Jack said as he forced Michael from Rowena. The archangel's grace entered Jack's mouth and he turned around. His eyes glowed a golden yellow and the shadow of wings were on the wall behind him. "I'm me again."_

** _THEN:_ **

_ **♫** Oh mother tell your children Not to do what I have done **♫** _

_"When we came back we originally wanted to find a way out of this, but then we wanted to make things right," Emma said. "It just seems like by avoiding one catastrophe, we create another."_

_ **♫** Spend your life in sin and misery **♫** _

_"Castiel, they're going to kill you and the girl," a woman said as she choked to death._

_ **♫** In the house of the rising sun **♫** _

_Claire glared at Regina. "This is a hex bag."_

_ **♫** I got one foot on the platform **♫** _

_"In our world, Supernatural is a television show, right? So I did some research and I looked up 'Balthazar Supernatural'," Emma said, showing Neal a computer screen._

_"Cas kills Balthazar," Neal whispered. "Oh god."_

_"Makes me worried about trusting them," Emma said._

_ **♫** The other on a train **♫** _

_"Jack is gone too," Claire said flatly._

_ **♫** And I'm going back to New Orleans **♫** _

_"You want me to babysit a nephilim?" Rowena asked Castiel incredulously._

_ **♫** To swing that ball and chain **♫** _

_Cas stared at Jack's letter._

I killed Mary Winchester_, Jack's letter read. _That's why they left.

_ **♫** Yeah there is a house in New Orleans **♫** _

_"_ _Jack," Cas called. "Rowena's here. I'm going out to search for Sam and Dean. _ _Jack? Jack?" Cas called as he entered Jack's empty room._

_"Oh bollocks," Rowena said looking at the empty room._

_ **♫** They call the rising sun And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy **♫** _

_"W_ _itches in our world usually sold their soul to get powers," Claire explained to Regina. "According to one of the witches we know, there's three types. The Borrowers, The Naturals, and The Students."_

_ **♫** And God I know I'm one **♫** _

** _NOW:_ **

* * *

_Real World, Unknown Time_

The boy was lost. How he got here and why he was here was a mystery to him. He barely recognized a single building, and nothing seemed to be the same as he remembered it. The demon summoning was a bust. Clearly wherever he was, demons did not exist. He investigated strange cases, but it was only ever a sick human. Never a vampire or werewolf or wendigo.

He almost would have accepted a gorgon at this point, just so he could get some semblance of reality. Despite the oddity of his life on his own away from Castiel, Jack Kline searched on for Sam and Dean Winchester.

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

A gunshot echoed through the early morning in Storybrooke. Claire was careful to go far enough into the woods in order to prevent her target practice from waking anyone.

"Can I try?"

Claire spun around at the speed of light and pointed her gun between Henry's eyes. She glared at him. Ignoring the question, Claire turned back to aim at a far tree stump.

"Please?" Henry tried.

Claire huffed in frustration. "Look, kid. This is a gun. Guns are not toys or playthings. Guns kill and hurt. This gun is mine for killing monsters."

"A monster is after me," Henry pointed out. "I think I should know how to defend myself."

"I will not let you shoot my gun," Claire said lowly. She threw him one more glare before clicking the safety back in place and heading back into town.

* * *

"There you are," Rowena said as Emma and Killian entered Granny's. She was sitting at a booth near the back of the diner. She waved them over. "I found this."

On the table was a square of fabric and various items including what looked like a small bone.

Emma looked up. "This is what exactly?"

"Hex bag," Rowena said, waving it off. "However, it hasn't been used yet. I happened upon it. There's quite a few of these spread around town. This one was under the table we're sitting at now."

Killian looked worried. "These hex bag allow witches to hurt the people they're around? So they could theoretically kill the whole town."

"Nope," Rowena said shaking her head. "I found five others and burned them. I'm going to use this one to see if I can trace the magic back to the witch or at least the other hex bags." She patted a large leather tome beside her. "I'll find the witches within the hour."

"If you want to narrow the search, I can probably get names of the people the victim was friends with," Emma suggested.

"Unnecessary," Rowena cut her off. The red head threw her a smile. "Magic is very precise. I'll know who did it and who around them has magic themselves."

Emma looked slightly impressed. As if remembering something, she straightened. "Right, so I wanted to ask, well, _not_ Claire, but is something off with Castiel? It's just that Neal said he's acting strange and since he did know him for a little bit… I'm just concerned. My son's life is in your hands and I don't know if I trust you guys at all."

Rowena had a sour look on her face. "I've never been a friend of the Winchesters. An ally, yes, but never a friend. However, that being said… you don't know Castiel. He changed after realizing what lies he was being told by the other angels. At least, that's what I gathered." She frowned. "I can't tell you why he acts this way now. Perhaps you ought to ask him? From my time with the do gooders, asking is the polite thing." She slid out of the booth and picked up the hex bag.

Emma waited for her to leave before turning to look at Killian. "Well?"

"I'd say she's not lying about not being friends with the Winchesters," Killian answered. "Just the Winchesters though. There has to be a lot more history there. With Castiel and Claire… I'm not sure. There's got to be some allure. Perhaps not romantically. She and Claire are always at odds, and she and Castiel don't seem like the type to last long together. It might even be blackmail. Why can't she tell us anything? Even if Castiel and Claire told her not to, she doesn't seem the type to care about the consequences."

"So they have something on her," Emma said, standing up.

The pair rushed to the motel part of the Bed and Breakfast and hurried up the stairs to Castiel's and Claire's rooms. Castiel's was empty, but Claire was in her's.

"Uh, hi?" Claire said confused as she answered the door.

"What are you blackmailing Rowena with?" Emma demanded.

Claire looked insulted. "Excuse me? Blackmailing…? I'm not blackmailing Rowena! What the hell would I blackmail her with anyway? I can't kill her!" Upon seeing the confusion this last statement caused her, she sighed. "There are millions of events leading to Rowena's death and millions of different ways those events happen. The only thing that remains constant is in every possible outcome, Sam Winchester deals the fatal blow. Sam is missing and Rowena is helping us find him. The man who will one day kill her. No amount of blackmail could make Rowena find him if it wasn't her choice to find him." Claire crossed her arms. "Now, please leave me to my job."

* * *

_Real World, Unknown Time_

Jack never really thought much of the struggles of hunting. Usually, Castiel could offer angelic knowledge that moved the case forward or Sam would make a breakthrough in his research. Now, without having his family to help, Jack was finding it much more difficult to solve cases.

His cell phone rang. Moving out of hearing range of the other people at the bus stop he was currently waiting at, Jack answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jack," the Scottish accent of Rowena said pleasantly. "Glad to see you've finally learned how to pick up the phone."

"My phone wasn't turning on, so I had to go to the store. I bought a phone charger," Jack explained. "Besides, you probably would have told Castiel if I answered."

"What makes you think I won't now?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess he's probably left to look for me by now. And Sam and Dean. You probably haven't spoken to him in a while, and since he is gone, I have a chance to tell you not to tell him."

Rowena sighed on the other end. "Well, you're right about one thing. Castiel did leave to look for you. He went to pick up Claire Novak. I haven't heard from Castiel since he left." She let out a breath of air. "Why shouldn't I tell Castiel you answered my call?"

"I'm dangerous," Jack said quietly. "When I pulled Michael out of you, I burned off more of my soul. It was a lot of my soul. We weren't sure how much I had left, but I don't care what Castiel says. I don't have much of it left. I _killed_ her. I tried to bring her back, but it didn't work!" He was getting frustrated and the people nearby shot him worried looks.

"What didn't work, dear?" Rowena asked nervously as if she could feel the tension and fear through the phone. "Your mother? You tried to bring her back? It's alright, Jack. If you tried to bring your mother back, that's love. You aren't completely soulless. But you can't blame yourself, Jack. Kelly doesn't blame you."

"NO!" Jack yelled into his phone. A pulse of energy shot out of his body. The cell phone disintegrated first. Then the people around him turned into dust and ash.

Jack sank to his knees. He slammed a fist against the ground. The cement cracked.

"I'm a monster," Jack whispered.

There was a flutter of wings, and Jack was gone.

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

Claire peered out her door to make sure the coast was clear. Then she dragged a bag full of something rattling from the table and looped it over her shoulder. The blonde hunter headed for the treeline, periodically glancing over her shoulder for any sign of a tail. Finally, Claire arrived at an old farmhouse.

The hunter made quick work of laying down the proper precautions. She pulled cans of spray paint from the bag and began spraying sigils on the walls and windows. When she was sure no angel or other creature could enter, she pulled another item from her bag. This time a bag of salt which she lined the house with. The last thing she did was clear out a big space and spray a large devils trap on the floor.

Deciding her work was perfect, Claire set about summoning a demon. She wasn't sure it would even work. When the Winchesters had summoned Crowley, they knew him by name. She did not know the demon she was summoning.

Claire finished the summoning ritual and waited patiently.

"Hello, hunter."

* * *

"We need the truth," Emma said when Castiel met with the heroes and Neal. "You are hiding things from us. We're trusting you guys to save Henry, but I can't trust liars."

"Agreed," David nodded. "I'm done with the lies. They never help anyone. We all need to be truthful to each other starting now."

Henry looked down. "I'm sorry, but I swear there are no more secrets. Just the whole Jadis thing and the time travel plus the demon deal. That's it."

Regina smiled at her son. "Thank you, Henry. Now, Castiel, what would you like to tell us?"

"Maybe start by explaining what happened to Balthazar," Neal suggested firmly.

Castiel looked old. He sighed. "Of course. After I left you at the orphanage, I returned to my world and began training my garrison in Heaven. There were whisperings of the Apocalypse. It was 2004 then in my world. In late 2008 I received orders to lead my garrison to Hell in order to raise Dean Winchester before he could break the first seal. Unfortunately, we did not make it there in time. I doubt we even had a chance," Castiel said bitterly. "I became busy fighting battles with Lilith who was trying to break the 66 Seals that would allow Lucifer to rise. In one of those battles… I heard of Balthazar's death." He looked down. "I mourned a friend, but unfortunately, I learned of the great betrayal of my brothers and sisters. Heaven wanted the Apocalypse. I tried to stop it, but…" He trailed off.

"I'm sorry," Neal offered.

Castiel ignored him. "To make a long story short, Sam and Dean were to be Lucifer and Michael's perfect vessels. Sam ended up saying yes and eventually, he took control long enough to jump back into the Cage with Michael. I later pulled Sam out, but without his soul although I didn't know that at the time. After we recovered Sam's soul, we started to search for any items to help defeat the last archangel in Heaven, Raphael. I discovered Balthazar had faked his death to get out."

"So he's not dead," Neal said, shaking his head. "Why would you tell us he was?"

Castiel hung his head in shame. "That's not the end. I was swayed by Crowley to search for Purgatory in order to use the souls as power I desperately needed to defeat Raphael. I got in too deep. Sam and Dean asked Balthazar if he could stop me from making a mistake. The thought I might listen to him, but the solution was so simple. Borrow the souls for the power and then return them. And I was so convinced I could double cross Crowley. It was too much and I was being pulled in. Balthazar wanted to stop me. I killed him."

"God, Castiel," Neal said in horror, holding his hand to his mouth. "I figured it was true, but I was hoping the show was wrong."

Robin shifted uncomfortably. "Okay… um, is there anything else we should know? Like for example, if I died, would that nullify Henry's deal?"

"No," Castiel shook his head. "All that would happen is an unfortunate part of life. If Henry were to cancel his deal, you would return to the form you had at the time of the deal." He frowned. "I suppose the unpleasantness of the sight would matter on how long you were dead. Your soul would return to Heaven."

"His soul was ended," Snow pointed out. "The Olympian Crystal was used to kill him. I don't think he _would_ go anywhere. He would just… not exist anymore."

"Perhaps Henry could end his deal," Robin suggested. "I might die, but the other me… the me from this time, might live."

"I'm not ending my deal," Henry said loudly. "I made the choice to sell my soul for Robin's life because I think he's worth it. I'm not going to give up on that. You guys shouldn't either. I mean, who would have thought the Evil Queen would become friends with Snow White and her family? Or Captain Hook would become a hero and marry a princess? Or a Beauty would fall in love with the Beast and change him?" Henry grinned at his family. "You guys have beaten so many villains and done the impossible. The demon thinks it's impossible to get out of the deal, so let's show it that this family can do the impossible with our eyes closed."

Rowena stumbled in. She beelined for Castiel. Her eyes were wide.

"What?" Castiel asked immediately.

Rowena swallowed. "It's here. The demon the boy made the deal with. There was a _wave_ of… _darkness_ that washed over the town. I can feel it." She looked around. "Where's Claire?"

Castiel's eyes widened. "Claire!" He grabbed Rowena and they disappeared in a flutter of wings.

"Claire summoned the demon," Emma said in realization.

Belle inhaled sharply. "Oh no."

"Emma, Gold!" Regina yelled over her shoulder as she raced out the front door.

"Stay here!" Emma ordered the others. "Get salt. They said demons can't cross it." Then she followed Regina and Gold out the door.

* * *

_Real World, Unknown Time_

Jack used the small amount of cash he had for a new phone. As he waited for the nice lady to help him set up his phone, he reflected on something that had bothered him. He _knew_ he was supposed to feel guilty about using his powers to duplicate the money, but at the same time, he didn't feel guilty.

Once out of the store, Jack took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, what am I doing for you now?"

Jack rolled his eyes at Rowena's sarcastic greeting. "It's Jack."

"Oh, hello, Jack," Rowena said, tone instantly changing to a softer one. "New phone number? I thought it might be Castiel or _Claire_."

"You don't like Claire," Jack noted. "Well, my other phone broke, so I had to get a new one."

"I gathered that based on the disconnection right after you got mad and screamed at me," Rowena said calmly. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Jack said evasively. "I'm looking for cases that might give me some information about Sam and Dean. Which was a reason I called you. There's a lot of cases that seem like the victim was attacked by a hellhound, but I checked the records. Ten years ago, no one had any life changing experiences. Can someone bind a hellhound? Like you could do with a reaper for example."

"Hellhounds are volatile creatures," Rowena said. "Most demons can barely control them."

"Oh," Jack frowned. "I guess one has gone rogue then. Thanks anyway."

"Jack, you should come back-"

Jack ended the call. He ignored the vibrating when Rowena tried to call him back.

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

The demon smiled slowly. It glanced down at the bright red paint making a devils trap.

"Clever girl, hunter," the demon said. "What have I been summoned for? You know, the Winchesters may had made Crowley their slave, but as for the rest of us, we don't let hunters do that to us."

Claire smiled back. "Good. I love doing this the hard way." She began walking slowly around the outside of the devils trap. "I'm assuming you made the deal with the little kid. Henry Mills. Why?"

The demon smirked. "I'm sorry. That name is unfamiliar. I don't think I've even met this Henry."

"No," Claire agreed, "you're right. You probably haven't, but you have heard his name. See, Henry and his family came back in time. The deal carried over with them. You know he has a deal with you and you know why. I just want to know why make a deal with a kid." She stopped in front of the demon. "Then I want you to rip up his contract."

The demon shook its head, laughing. "Oh you'd love that. I know. Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that name. Henry. Yes, the one that brought back Robin Hood. Sorry. That contract isn't mine anymore."

Claire skin went cold. "You don't have his contract? Who does?"

"Not me," the demon said happily. "Is that all?"

"Claire!" A muffled voice yelled, banging on the door.

"Better go get that," the demon taunted.

"Claire, open up!" Castiel yelled through the door.

Claire picked up her angel blade. She moved towards the sigils to break them, but then snorted.

"Claire!"

"You know," Claire began, twirling the blade, "I _am_ a hunter. Hunters stop the bad guys. If you won't give up a name, that's okay. I'm sure there's others who can give me what I want. But you've lost value to me. Even if you don't hold the contract, well, it'll still feel good to do this." She shoved the blade into the demon's chest. Nodding in satisfaction, Claire broke the sigils holding Cas out.

Cas entered the house followed by Rowena, Emma, Regina, and Gold. Emma and Regina looked from the bloody wound in the chest of a teenage girl to the blood covered blade in Claire's hand that was dripping blood.

"What have you done?" Emma gasped.

* * *

_Real World, Unknown Time_

It was too long. How long they'd been missing was too long. The chance that Sam and Dean Winchester remained alive and well was steadily dwindling into single digits. Soon, it would be fractions.

Jack wandered aimlessly through the trees. Sam and Dean wouldn't have just got up and left. No, it was a monster that did this. Of that he was sure.

Sighing, Jack reached into his pocket to call Rowena and see if she had found anything to help. No service.

Jack frowned and dialed Rowena's number, but was greeted with silence. No ringing or automated voices.

"Great," Jack muttered. "Now this stupid thing is broken." He shoved it back into his pocket. Finally reaching a break in the trees, Jack spotted a small town and he consented to making a quick stop in town to purchase a new phone.

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

Claire did not defend herself to Emma, though she couldn't help but feel a tinge of shame, but instead began cleaning her blade on the clothes of the dead girl. She wiped her own hands on her pant legs, but Emma supposed that was for her benefit.

"You killed someone!" Emma said loudly.

Claire scoffed. "I hardly think the demon who made the deal with your son is worthy of anymore breaths of air." She crossed her arms and looked at Cas. "She didn't hold the contract. Do we know Hell's hierarchy at the moment?"

Cas shook his head. "With Lucifer gone, I assume Hell has fallen into chaos, but without Crowley to tell us, we'd have to take a look ourselves to really know. I don't think the demons are going to give up their leaders to an angel and a hunter."

Emma and Regina glanced at the dead girl in disbelief. This was the demon who had made the deal with Henry. Somehow, it felt wrong. The demon was dead, but so was the innocent girl it was possessing.

Rowena examined the body. Gold observed the witch at work.

"This was the demon," Rowena agreed. "And you're right, Claire. She didn't hold the boy's contract. This was a low level crossroads demon. I don't know who she was working for, but whatever they are, they're old and powerful."

"How old?" Claire demanded.

Rowena met the girl's eyes with a faraway look. "Lucifer old," the witch replied softly. "He definitely created this thing."

Emma's cell phone rang. She quickly answered it and gapped.

"What?" Regina asked warily.

"Leroy called my parents about a stranger who just arrived in town," Emma answered. She looked at Gold. "I thought you made it impossible for strangers to wander in?"

Gold's eyes narrowed. "I did."

* * *

Emma, Killian, Regina, Robin, Snow, David, Belle, Gold, Henry, Rowena, Claire, and Castiel made their way to Granny's where a man was chatting happily with Ruby and Granny. The two who were, by the looks of it, charged with keeping the stranger busy.

Claire and Castiel looked shocked, and they stood outside the diner with a frozen expression.

Rowena looked mildly surprised, but attempted to seem more surprised.

Sensing the presence of a large group of new people, the man inside Granny's turned around. His blue eyes met Castiel's blue eyes. Castiel's eyes glowed a brighter blue, while the man's eyes glowed a bright gold.

"Jack?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Claire has killed the demon that made the deal with Henry, but this demon no longer hold Henry's contract! If you recall, a similar thing happened with Dean's contract being transferred to Lilith in season 3 of Supernatural.
> 
> Some of you may be wondering about why the hellhounds haven't come for Henry again. Well, it's only been a few days since the wedding. Day 1- wedding and whole first chapter through the scene where the witch barges in on Cas, Day 2- begins with Emma, Killian, and David investigating the witchest death, Day 3- is the Neal centric chapter, Day 4- Claire target practicing in the woods.
> 
> Henry is not out of his deal yet. Our heroes and hunters still need to figure out who they are dealing with. Hopefully, Jack will be able to help them.
> 
> Or will he? As I have hopefully conveyed, Jack is under the impression that he is dangerous. He has been in contact with Rowena over the past two years, so we'll see how that pans out.
> 
> This being my first SPN fic in a way means that for the first time, I really have to appreciate the amount of research that goes into lore for SPN. I mean, wow. That stuff is so twisted away from what I can find, but it's also so very connected.
> 
> Finally, I have to apologize. This is becoming very Supernatural oriented, and the main focus is of course Once Upon A Time. I promise this will be fixed soon. I plan on getting a lot more Once character centric chapters.
> 
> Let me also add that the THEN and NOW recaps actually line up with the song lyrics. I spent about half an hour trying to find a Jack and Rowena quote to no avail, then another hour going through the previous chapters picking out lines and timing everything to the right lyrics.
> 
> Preview - Chapter Five: I Believe They're the Future...
> 
> Jack smiled. "After I left, I started going on hunts and I kept researching anything I could find. I came across the demon classifications religious people have made. Peter Binsfeld created a classification of demons in 1589. He called them Princes of Hell which isn't completely inaccurate, but it's not accurate either. He based it on the Seven Deadly Sins." Jack frowned. "Anyway, he wrote Lucifer was pride, Mammon was greed, Asmodeus was lust, Leviathan was envy, Beelzebub was gluttony, Satan was wrath, and Belphegor was sloth."
> 
> "Of course we know that Azazel, Ramiel, Asmodeus, and Dagon are the Princes of Hell," Claire agreed. "But how does the less informed Peter Binsfeld's classifications have anything to do with… anything?"
> 
> "I was curious," Jack explained. "Satan is another name for my father, and he is technically an angel. I didn't really know why he was classified as a demon. Leviathans are a whole race of monsters, and aren't demons either. So I looked into each of these demons."


	5. I Believe They're the Future

_Now Playing: Bad Moon Rising by _ _Creedence Clearwater Revival_

"_I'm going to speak to Donatello. See if he has any information," Castiel said._

** _THEN:_ **

_**♫ **I see a bad moon a-rising **♫ **_

"_I can help, Castiel." His eyes flared a golden color for a second._

_Cas stared at him sadly. "No, Jack. Not like this."_

_ **♫** I see trouble on the way **♫** _

_Claire sighed. "So Jack is gone," she said flatly._

_Cas looked sheepish._

_ **♫** I see earthquakes and lightnin' **♫** _

_"Hello, Jack," Rowena said into her cell phone._

_"I'm dangerous," Jack told her._

_ **♫** I see bad times today **♫** _

_"My son's life is in your hands and I don't know if I trust you guys at all," Emma said._

_ **♫** Don't go 'round tonight It's bound to take your life **♫** _

_"NO!" Jack yelled. _ _A pulse of energy shot out of his body. The people around him turned into dust and ash. He_ _ sank to his knees and slammed a fist against the ground. The cement cracked. _ _"I'm a monster," he whispered._

_ **♫** There's a bad moon on the rise **♫** _

_"We need the truth," Emma said._

_"I'm done with the lies," David agreed._

_ **♫** Oh don't go 'round tonight **♫** _

_"It's here," Rowena gasped. "The demon the boy made the deal with."_

_ **♫** It's bound to take your life There's a bad moon on the rise **♫** _

_"_ _Even if you don't hold the contract," Claire said, "well, it'll still feel good to do this." She shoved the blade into the demon's chest._

_"What have you done?" Emma gasped._

_ **♫** Don't go 'round tonight It's bound to take your life **♫** _

_Emma, Killian, Regina, Robin, Snow, David, Belle, Gold, Henry, Rowena, Claire, and Castiel approached Granny's to see a man standing there. _ _Claire and Castiel looked shocked, and _ _Rowena looked mildly surprised. _ _The man turned, sensing the presence of people. His eyes glowed bright gold as Castiel's eyes glowed a brilliant blue._

_"Jack?"_

_ **♫** There's a bad moon on the rise **♫** _

** _NOW:_ **

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

"Jack?"

Emma looked between Cas and the man before him. Her eyes narrowed. "Jack as in Lucifer's kid? I thought he was-"

"Missing?" Claire cut in. "He was." She gripped her angel blade tight.

Jack made his way towards Castiel slowly. "Hello," he greeted.

"Jack," Cas repeated. His angel blade slipped into his hand. "What happened?"

Jack stopped and looked away. "I'm sorry, Cas. I need to find Sam and Dean. I can fix this if you just give me the chance."

"An explanation," Rowena said firmly. "Your disappearance put quite the strain on Castiel. He deserves to know why you left."

* * *

_Lebanon, Kansas, 2 Years Ago_

As soon as Castiel left his room, Jack leapt up and began running his hands along the walls.

"Come on, come on," he muttered. "There has to be a weak spot somewhere."

The walls were lit up with Enochian sigils and wards. Jack scanned the walls to find the sigil that was keeping him from leaving the room. Finally, his eyes settled on a small sigil in each corner. That had to be the one. He felt the power around the sigil and recognized a protection sigil wrapped around each of the corner sigils.

Making quick work of the protection sigils, Jack refocused on neutralizing the corner sigils. The power emanating from them was making him weak. He slid the mattress over and pulled a twisted golden blade from between the mattress and the bed frame.

Lucifer's dagger was of little use now. No archangels left to use it, but Jack was Lucifer's son. Surely the blade would work for him. At least enough to break the Enochian.

Jack cut through the sigil to keep his door locked. Grinning when it worked, he worked on the corner sigils.

His eyes flashed gold as the final sigil was broken. A shadow of wings appeared on the wall behind him. Jack threw open the door and raced down to the Bunker's library. He rummaged through books, finding nothing.

And that was how he spend the next few days. He searched into the night, but could not find anything to hint at what the creature might be. Deciding this was a fruitless search, Jack scrawled out a note to Castiel and left it in his room. Jack closed the door to the bedroom he had used for a couple years gently.

"I will return when Sam and Dean are found," he assured the Bunker before he disappeared in a flutter of wings.

Moments later, Castiel appeared with Rowena only to discover Jack was gone.

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

"And your soul?" Cas asked when Jack finished.

Jack blinked. "I don't know," he said firmly. "It's not important. Are Sam and Dean in this town?"

"Castiel and Claire are helping me stop a demon," Henry told Jack. "Claire killed the demon, but apparently it doesn't have my contract anymore."

Jack looked at Claire and Cas. "You're chasing a demon who is collecting crossroads deals? I've been doing research and I think it's connected to Sam and Dean."

"Can we take this to a private location?" Emma suggested, jerking her head towards the library.

Belle hurried over in front of the group to unlock the library.

Jack smiled. "After I left, I started going on hunts and I kept researching anything I could find. I came across the demon classifications religious people have made. Peter Binsfeld created a classification of demons in 1589. He called them Princes of Hell which isn't completely inaccurate, but it's not accurate either. He based it on the Seven Deadly Sins." Jack frowned. "Anyway, he wrote Lucifer was pride, Mammon was greed, Asmodeus was lust, Leviathan was envy, Beelzebub was gluttony, Satan was wrath, and Belphegor was sloth."

"Of course we know that Azazel, Ramiel, Asmodeus, and Dagon are the Princes of Hell," Claire agreed. "But how does the less informed Peter Binsfeld's classifications have anything to do with… anything?"

"I was curious," Jack explained. "Satan is another name for my father, and he is technically an angel. I didn't really know why he was classified as a demon. Leviathans are a whole race of monsters, and aren't demons either. So I looked into each of these demons." He looked at Henry. "I believe the demon Mammon now holds your contract. When I researched Mammon, I found out that the Bible describes Mammon as 'commonly thought to mean money, material wealth, or any entity that promises wealth, and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain.'"

"Mammon," Castiel murmured. "I haven't heard that name in a long time. If I had to describe him, I'd say he's Crowley on steroids."

"Excellent," Rowena said sarcastically. "Just what we need. How exactly is this Mammon like Fergus?"

"Like Jack said, Mammon is associated with greedy pursuit of gain," Castiel told her. "Like Crowley, he was very business and orderly. He was the first King of the Crossroads, but after Lucifer's defeat, Mammon disappeared. If he's back… As I understand it, without Asmodeus or Lucifer or Crowley, Hell has fallen to, well, hell. It's very probable that Mammon would use these two year deals to collect souls for power. He'd do anything for power. We need to stop his deals soon. Prevent as many as we can."

"Is there anything else he could do?" David questioned.

Claire shook her head. "If he were an angel, producing a Nephilim would be a good place to start for him, but demon and human children result in cambions. The hunting community knows them as the antichrist, but with Lucifer dead, the cambions have no powers." She gestured to Jack. "Getting Jack on his side would be the next best thing."

"Still," Robin mused, "it doesn't make much sense. How can this Mammon collect souls in our world? We've been to the Underworld, and everyone who dies ends up there. From there they either go to a better place or a worse place."

"Unless they are linked," Snow pointed out. "What if the better place did lead to this Heaven Castiel is from, and the worst place lead to Hell."

"The different worlds are not connected," Castiel said shaking his head. "Other than this one, I know of two other worlds. We call the first the Bad Place, and the second Apocalypse World. Both required a rift to cross between them. This world though… I don't think I've ever seen a world so full of holes that allow other realms easy passage."

Henry laughed nervously. "That's probably because the other worlds don't have us time traveling all over the place."

"I think it's Mammon who is providing this access," Claire said cooly. "We have a witch problem to take care of though before we start on Mammon."

* * *

The dark haired woman and the blonde haired woman met inside a dark house.

"She betrayed us to them," the blonde said, glaring at the image of the woman with jet black hair. "They are _hunting_ us now."

"So we distract them," the dark haired woman murmured. "We send them hunting something else. Something protected by a love so strong. How can they destroy it, when she refuses to let them?"

* * *

Weeks passed by and no leads were made on the witch front. Jack ignored the witch problem and instead focused on Mammon which annoyed the heroes greatly, despite Cas explaining that currently, he was unsure exactly how much of his soul Jack possessed, therefore making Jack's emotions wild and unpredictable.

Rowena's plan to trace the magic from the hex bag back to the witches fell through when the hex bags she had collected self destructed. The red haired witch was insufferable to deal with in the days following. She seemed somewhat awed and angered that the low level witches could figure out a way to do this before her.

Castiel seemed tense. He said it was because he could sense the dark magic being used in the town, but he couldn't determine a source. Either way, he concluded that his inability to pinpoint the location was due to Enochian sigils that would keep him out.

Belle got sick. If not for the fact that she was doing most of the research about witches and magic, her sudden illness wouldn't have been a problem. However, she could not focus or concentrate on her research. Added to that, Claire was concerned that Belle's sickness was the witches' fault.

Gold refused to let Castiel near Belle. Despite his insistence that Belle was fine, the angel kept saying he felt darkness around her. He said if it was the witches, they needed to figure out what they did to Belle before Belle ended up hurt or dead.

Emma and Killian had taken in baby Dior for the time being. Dior and Tallahassee seemed to get along well, and since Belle was sick, it was the least they could do for her to make sure her baby was okay.

It was one day when Snow forced Gold to let Belle out of their house and come to her's and David's apartment that they began to worry.

"I'm worried," Belle confessed to Snow. "I mean, he's never been like this before. He barely lets me get out of bed all day everyday. I don't even feel sick much. I'm just faintly nauseated and then by lunch time, I'm fine!"

"He's just worried about you," Snow said, attempting to shrug off her own concerns. "With all this witch business I mean. I have to admit, trusting Castiel and Claire is hard for me to do."

Belle shook her head. "No, no. I think he _knows_ why I'm sick. I think I do too, but it's not possible. It's only been a month since Emma and Killian's wedding. That's too soon."

An uneasy feeling settled in Snow's stomach. "What does the wedding have to do with anything? Killian didn't…?"

Belle's eyes widened. "No! Ew, no! It was just a lot to take in that day and Rumple and I…" she trailed off. "God, Snow, I think I'm pregnant."

"That's wonderful!" Snow gasped. But seeing the look on Belle's face, she faltered in her excitement. "You aren't happy about that. What's wrong?"

"It took me months to first get any symptoms last time," Belle said. "A-and how it _feels_ is so strange. I feel three months, but that's not possible. All the symptoms are the ones of three months too. I am nauseous all the time, and I'm vomiting and I have gone to the bathroom five times since I woke up three hours ago! It's almost like back in our time when my first pregnancy was sped up." She swallowed. "I need you to bring Castiel here. I just need to know if Rumple knows something about… it and that's why he won't say anything."

Snow nodded and dialed the number Claire had given them to contact either her or Cas.

"Hello?" Claire's voice asked in irritation.

"Claire, I have Belle at my apartment," Snow said quickly. "She's asking for Castiel. Gold isn't around and she wants to be sure about something."

Claire was silent for a moment. "Okay. He'll be over soon." She hung up without waiting for an answer.

"Claire said that Castiel will be here soon," she told Belle.

When Castiel arrived, his eyes flashed angelic blue. He stared at Belle but did not move towards her.

"All I will say," he said quietly, "is that I have only met one who was good. I do not say this to force your answer, but to tell you the odds that you face. I will offer you the choice for me to take care of the problem now and answer your questions after, or I can inform you of the situation you now face and get you answer of what to do after."

"I know I'm pregnant," Belle whispered. "You confirmed my thoughts just now, but what does my… my child have to do with anything?"

Castiel sighed. "The child is not human. You were there when I spoke of cambions? This child's demon parent is ingenious in that it has chosen the Dark One to possess. The Dark One of course is already demonic in nature. Only now that you ask me to look for anything strange can I see the subtle difference in the child's makeup." His eyes refused to look into Belle's confused ones. "Your other child, Dior, has slight remnants of her father as the Dark One. She will never be the Dark One naturally, but she gained powers from it. This child has the same remnants, but the anomaly is the extra demon parts. I would never have caught it if you hadn't requested my presence. The demon would not be sensed by me because the Dark One covers the demon very well."

"Gold's possessed?" Snow asked once Castiel finished.

Belle's hands drifted to cover her stomach. "You said the cambions do not have power because Lucifer is dead. Why would the demon want to do this?"

-"Perhaps I am wrong," Castiel shrugged. "I don't know how my brother's death will have affected the cambions."

"I can't let you kill it," Belle said hoarsely. "And I can't let that demon get it, but I won't let you kill Rumple to kill the demon."

Cas blinked. "The Dark One can only be killed by the dagger. I am not going to use his dagger. I will use an angel blade. It will be painful, but the demon will be dead." He frowned. "I apologize for Claire's actions with the other demon, but you should know we don't wish you any harm." His angel blade slid out of Castiel's sleeve. "I will ward this place. No angel or demon will be able to enter. That includes myself. Do not open these doors or destroy the warding for whatever reason. Not even if I am pounding on the door and yelling for you to open it. Claire has an anti possession tattoo. Demons can't possess her. She will come get you when it is safe. If she doesn't come within the next few hours…" He didn't continue.

Belle's legs curled up under her as Castiel left the apartment in a flurry of wings. "Oh god, what have we gotten ourselves into?"

* * *

Claire barely flinched as Castiel appeared in her room. "Hey, Cas," she greeted absently. She sifted through sheets of paper. "Rowena dropped off some translations from the Book of the Damned. She asked me to try and find anything in here that might help. I think she's trying all the detection and tracking potions and spells she can." Finally she looked up. "What?" she asked seeing Castiel's face.

"A cambion will be born," he answered. "A demon has possessed Mr. Gold. Perhaps since we got here. His girlfriend, Belle, has fallen pregnant."

Claire grabbed her angel blade. "You get the demon, I'll get the kid."

"No!" Cas said loudly. "We aren't killing the child. Jesse was a good kid despite his demonic parentage. I have to believe that this child will be good as well."

Claire held Castiel's gaze for a long while before nodding her consent. "Okay." She put the blade back and returned to her researching. "You know," she laughed, "I think you're getting better at this whole caring-for-human-life thing. That was a joke," she added, rolling her eyes when Cas gave her a blank look. "I know you care about human life. Somewhat. Anyway, I only meant to get a laugh out of you, Cas. Lighten up."

"I need you to go to Snow's apartment when I have gotten rid of the demon," Cas told Claire. "And a small amount of backup wouldn't be amiss. If you would like to come, of course."

Claire stood back up and reached for her blade. She patted Cas on the shoulder. "And now you're really starting to understand me." She snickered. "An impossible feat according to Jody and Alex, so if you tell them, you should expect some type of reward."

"If we see them again," Cas pointed out.

Claire crossed her arms. "Wow, okay, buzzkill. Way to take five steps forward, but like eight steps back. We are going to see everyone again. That's final. Okay? I did not survive all these years of hunting just to die on this crazy mission of yours to find Sam and Dean. So let's gank this demon and save some people."

* * *

"Rumplestiltskin!" Claire said loudly in the middle of the street. She and Cas were in the intersection in front of the library. "Rumplestiltskin, show yourself!"

The man appeared in a cloud of red smoke. His suit was neat and unruffled. Gold smiled at Claire and Cas.

"I was wondering when you'd realize that Mr. Gold hasn't been here for quite some time," the demon possessing Gold said. "My boss has some lovely witches here who tried to summon me about a month ago. They wanted to see about me providing a distraction in the form of a cambion. Of course, I had already done so a few days prior, but no matter. They agreed to speed up the pregnancy. As I understand it, young Miss French has already gone through a sped up pregnancy? Then no worries there. I suppose you'd like to kill me then?"

Cas snapped his fingers. Immediately the ground around possessed Gold lit up to form a devil's trap. "Invisible ink," Cas said with narrowed eyes. "You may have the powers of the Dark One, but inside that trap, you are completely powerless."

Claire dragged the angel blade along the demon's cheek causing the demon to scream in pain. "Who are you working for?" she whispered. "Mammon? If you tell us, we might only exorcise you. You do want to meet your kid one day right?"

"Yes, Mammon, okay?" the demon said quickly. "Hell has been in total anarchy! Crowley and Lucifer never came back! We needed a leader to step up, and Mammon did. I swear that's all I know."

Claire smiled falsely. "So I guess you're saying you aren't really of any more use to us? I knew demons weren't the sharpest machete in the weapons case, but you'd think they might become less gullible over time." She nodded to Cas.

Cas thrust his angel blade through the demon's chest. It's eyes and mouth flashed as the demon died.

Gold looked down at the blade protruding from his chest. He looked up to meet Claire's eyes which immediately widened.

"Um, hi, I'm Claire, we just-" Claire began, but was cut off as she went flying through the air. She groaned as she pushed herself back up. "Saved your life," she finished weakly.

Cas yanked the blade out of Gold's chest, causing the man to yell out in pain.

"It's going to take more than a knife to kill me, dearie," Gold hissed at Cas.

"What the hell is going on- oh my god! Gold!" Emme shouted. She looked from the angel blade in Castiel's hand to the healed hole in Gold's chest surrounded by a bloodied clothing hole and then her eyes dropped back to the angel blade that had been knocked out of Claire's hand. She pulled out her gun. "Drop your blades. NOW!"

"Stop! Everyone stop!" Belle called, running towards them. Snow was right behind her.

"I thought Cas told you to wait till I came to get you!" Claire said tersely.

Belle stopped between Emma and Cas. She held up her hands. "Please. You don't understand, Emma! Rumple was possessed!"

Gold shot Belle an incredulous look. "Possessed? Belle, what the hell happened?"

"This is Claire Novak and Castiel," Belle introduced the two hunters to Gold. "They arrived during the reception of Emma and Killian's wedding when a _hellhound_ attacked Henry." She inhaled sharply. "However I don't believe you remember much past defeating Jadis."

"You were possessed by a demon," Claire explained. "Castiel and I… hunt things like these and we… stop them. That demon was responsible for…" she cut herself off and looked at Belle.

Belle sighed unhappily. "Right. Ah, Rumple, could we go somewhere private?"

With a final glance at Claire and Castiel suspiciously, Gold threw up a hand swiftly. He and Belle disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

Emma's gun hand dropped to her side. "What happened?"

* * *

Belle looked around. They were in their house. She sat down in a chair and hugged herself.

"Belle? What's wrong?"

"I love you," Belle said quietly. "But I can never forgive myself. I should have known something was wrong as soon as the demon possessed you. I should have been able to tell that you were different."

"I don't quite understand the whole demon thing, but I know enough to tell you whatever happened was not your fault, Belle," Gold said sitting down across from her. "What reason did you have - what reason did I ever give you that could make you believe that I might not act so strangely. It's alright, Belle."

"No its not!" Belle cried. "You don't understand. That night I was so confused and I didn't understand what was going on. It was a lot to take in and…" she paused and looked down. "I had my suspicions when I got sick, but I didn't think it could be right because it had only been a month since the wedding."

An uneasy feeling crept into Gold's gut. The gears started turning in his head.

"I'm pregnant," Belle whispered. "Pregnant with a cambion."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes the chapter title is indeed a reference to the episode of Supernatural titled I Believe the Children Are Our Future. Coincidentally, that is the episode with Jesse Turner, the cambion from Supernatural.
> 
> Belle is in fact pregnant with a cambion, and trust me, I know where I'm going with this. I have a plan for the "next generation" if you will of Once Upon a Time children. No, the story will not revolve around them due to me popping them out and killing off their parents. I will not be doing that, but I do need them to grow up to join their parents as heroes. So far we have Dior Gold and Tallahassee Jones.
> 
> Quick sort of poll. I have not written any confirmation of a name change yet, so shall I make Emma's name Emma Jones or Emma Swan-Jones? I don't think the show ever said if she kept her name, hyphenated, or changed to Jones. She seems like she would hyphenate, but I'm not quite sure what I want to do yet.
> 
> Also, new baby Gold. I do indeed know what gender, however, I am not completely sold on one name in specific. Any suggestions? I'm leaning more towards a French name, but I might be persuaded to pick a non French name.
> 
> Do you like Jack being back? I wasn't too sure about putting him in, but I kinda wanted to write that Devil Unknown chapter. That name was also inspired by a Supernatural episode by the name of The Devil You Know. I'm having fun with these titles guys! I'm actually glad I decided to start using my own rather than the episode name.
> 
> Mammon is an actual demon you can google. Under "classifications of demons" in wikipedia, you will find different accounts of the seven sins being the way to classify demons as well as several variations of the princes of Hell. Which is what I was looking into because I was curious one day to see if Azazel, Asmodeus, Dagon, and Ramiel were actually the princes of Hell in our lore or if that's just the names they chose for the show. Turns out Azazel is the name of a fallen angel. Asmodeus and Dagon are mentioned in the wikipedia article. Ramiel is also a fallen angel. Anyway…
> 
> Posting edit: This chapter went up a week later than it was suppose to. My grandpa passed away and I didn't have the energy to get the intro ready and set to music and all that. Plus, my family is moving to a new house on top that. It's been stressful.
> 
> Also, hi, what? Anyone see SPN 15x01? Stealing my demon names, huh?
> 
> Preview - Chapter Six: Reaper...
> 
> "Hello, Henry."
> 
> Henry spun around and face planted into a pile of leaves and twigs. He groaned and rubbed his face. Looking up, he spotted a female in all black clothing. Her chocolate arms held a stack of books.
> 
> "Who are you?" Henry asked, feeling stupid laying on the ground. He scrambled to his feet.
> 
> The woman's ruby red lips curled into a small smile. "Relax, Henry. I'm not here to hurt you. We need to talk." She sat down on a tree stump. "You can call me Billie."


	6. Reaper

_Now Playing: (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult_

_"Which one of you recently came back from the dead?" Claire asked._

_"Me," Robin offered. "What does that have to do with anything?"_

_"That thing Castiel and I killed was a hellhound. Demons use them to… collect on deals. Henry made a deal. His soul in two years in exchange for your life," she said._

_ **THEN:** _

** _♫_ ** _ All our times have come **♫**_

_"It will keep coming after him until his insides are painting the walls and his soul is rotting in hell," Claire said._

** _♫_ ** _ Here but now they're gone **♫**_

_Neal gapped at Emma. _ _"Monsters? Monsters? You expect me to believe that a hellhound and a demon are trying to take Henry's soul to Hell and that these people, these hunters, can help him?"_

** _♫ _ ** _Seasons don't fear the reaper Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are_ ** _ ♫_ **

_"_ _This gun is mine for killing monsters," Claire said._

_"A monster is after me," Henry pointed out. "I think I should know how to defend myself."_

_"I will not let you shoot my gun," Claire said lowly._

** _♫ _ ** _Come on baby, don't fear the reaper **♫**_

_"Rowena McLeod's death is always the same," the reaper, Jessica, said. "By Sam Winchester."_

** _♫_ ** _ Baby take my hand, don't fear the reaper **♫**_

_"Henry," the demon said to Claire. "Sorry. That contract isn't mine anymore."_

** _♫_ ** _ We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper **♫**_

_Billie put Death's ring on. "I got a promotion."_

_"Jack?" Cas gasped in astonishment._

** _♫_ ** _ Baby I'm your man **♫**_

_"Demon and human children result in cambions," Claire said._

** _♫_ ** _ La, la, la, la, la **♫**_

_"I think I'm pregnant," Belle whispered to Snow._

_Castiel looked grave. "I've only met one that was good."_

_"Rumplestiltskin! Rumplestiltskin, show yourself!" Claire called._

** _♫_ ** _ La, la, la, la, la **♫**_

_"What the hell happened?"_

_"Rumple was possessed!" Belle explained._

_ **NOW:** _

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

"So, you are pregnant with the cambion child of a demon who was possessing the man who was your husband in our future's past, but is technically now your boyfriend?" Regina asked flatly.

Belle blinked. "Uh, I didn't quite follow that."

"Yes," Emma answered for Belle. "She is pregnant with the cambion child of a demon who was possessing, uh, whatever you said. Gold. Possessing Gold."

"Did you just say the very detailed description just for a laugh or what?" Killian asked with a frown. "Would it not have been easier to say she was pregnant with a cambion child of the demon possessing Gold?"

Regina fixed him with a glare. "Shut up, Guyliner."

"Castiel said you want to keep it," Claire said tonelessly. "Did he tell you that of all the cambions he's witness, _only_ Jesse Turner was decent? Although for all we know he could be a serial killer at this point because he went AWOL before Sam, Dean, and Cas could take him someplace safe."

Belle shrugged with a small smile. "In our other timeline, I had a son who was raised by the Black Fairy to kill Emma. I believed in him that he could be saved. I have to believe that if Gideon could be saved, so can this child."

"You'll find that we have lots of hope in this town," Snow said sharply.

Claire and Snow had been on edge with each other with their differing viewpoints. Claire's willingness to kill the child because of its demon parent was disturbing to Snow. It only proved to highlight the differences between the hunters and the heroes.

"I think it's admirable," Cas said smiling. "Believing in the child's goodness. I believed the same for Jack while his mother was pregnant with him. My faith was well placed." He looked at Claire. "This child will grow up with the love and support of this whole family, Claire. Most cambions… the mothers discarded of the child because it was demonic. In lesser times, you could be burnt alive for becoming tainted in such a way or for just being associated with witchcraft." He looked at Belle in concern. "The demon stated the witches in this town sped up the pregnancy, but this wasn't the first one you had that was sped up."

"Gideon," Belle supplied. "Rumple sped that up. Well, no, it was the Evil Queen. Not Regina, but it was Regina sort of. She had split her evil personality away from her and tried to kill that, but it didn't work so the evil version of her, the Evil Queen, was the one to speed up my pregnancy."

"Do you people ever make sense?" Claire muttered.

Regina cleared her throat. "What Belle means is that I felt guilt for what I had done as the Evil Queen, so I tried to get rid of the part of me that was the Evil Queen. It didn't work and that part of me used a spell to speed up Belle's pregnancy."

"No, see _that_ made much more sense," Claire said sarcastically. "I'll just go with an evil version of you sped up the pregnancy. I don't need your whole backstory, I really don't even care about your backstory, so just give me the facts I need to know and that's it."

"Yes, Belle has had a sped up pregnancy," Snow said irritably. "Continue."

"There may be a contingency plan if the child's demon parent was killed," Castiel explained. "I am of course assuming that Mammon wanted this child to be born so he can use it for his own purpose. He may be arriving the day of your child's birth. If that happens… we need to be ready."

"This is sounding awfully familiar," Regina muttered darkly.

"Zelena," David agreed with a nod. "But using sigils and devils traps we can keep the demon out, right?"

"Well, yes, but we won't be able to do any of that until Belle has gone to the hospital to have the child," Castiel admitted. "She will get stuck inside the devils traps due to the cambion, not to mention warding the building would render it impossible for her to enter."

"What if we teleport in with her?" Emma suggested. "Gold will be around her most often, but in a pinch, Regina or I could take her. Could that bypass the wards?"

Claire looked at Castiel thoughtfully. "If you can summon a demon inside a devils trap, what's to say you can't teleport a cambion inside the wards? It wouldn't be able to leave until we take the wards down, but I think that this could work." She reached into her pocket. "I almost forgot. Wear these necklaces." She handed them a leather cord with a small pentagram charm. "This will prevent anything from possessing you. Aside for angels, but then again, you have to give permission for that." She handed the necklaces out to each of them.

"I don't see you two wearing these," Robin noted suspiciously.

Claire sighed. "Mine is tattooed. Lower back. Castiel is an angel. The most a demon can do is make contact with an angel's vessel."

Castiel grimaced. "As Crowley did for Sam when Gadreel possessed him, and when… Lucifer possessed me."

"Okay, so disregarding the past, I for one would like to understand more about your time travel situation," Claire cut in.

"Well, Lucy and I performed the spell to send us back into the bodies of our current selves. Current for that time, I mean," Henry explained. "That's really all there is to it."

Claire tapped her chin. "Huh. Um, okay, but what exactly did that require?"

"Four ingredients," Henry answered. "Hatred, impurity, stupidity, and cowardice. The opposite of Zelena's spell which used love, purity, wisdom, and bravery. Oh! The, uh, the time stone. We may have stolen it from Strange, but I swear it was returned to him upon our departure." Henry smiled weakly.

"Any underlying reasons for the time travel?" Claire asked pointedly. "Such as the deal?"

Henry shook his head. "No way. I figured two years would be enough time, but my mom, Emma, was in a state worse than death. This was the only way to save her. I thought the deal was canceled by the time travel seeing as it hadn't happened yet, but I learned that angels and demons exist outside of space and time."

"Not exactly," Castiel admitted with a smile. "That would be God. He exists outside of space and time. Angels and demons… it's more complicated. However, I think I might be able to explain it to you." He drew a straight line with arrows on both ends. "This is time. Think of it as your original timeline. At this point," he drew a small tick in the middle of the line, "the time travel spell was enacted and performed. That caused your lives to move in a diagonal fashion back to the point in time where you arrived and continued living on your lived a different timeline." He drew a diagonal line down to the left and then a straight line to the right. "Of course you arrived at different times, so there would be multiple diags." He drew more diagonal lines. "The new timeline, or rather, the extension off the timeline, began with the first arrival."

"I arrived first," Regina realized. "It's still hazy, but I was the first to fall into the portal."

"I don't get it," Belle admitted.

Robin studied the diagram Castiel had drawn. "I think I might. When Regina came back, she traveled back via the first diag here and she came back to a point in time that duplicated the events of the original timeline. Had we, say, lost our memories, this timeline would continue exactly as the old one. Is that about right?"

Claire shrugged. "Sounds good. But one thing I have a problem with is the butterfly effect. How do we know for certain that at this very moment in the other timeline, the _original_ timeline, Cas and I are searching for the Winchesters? If you guys coming back in time is the reason-"

"It can't be," Henry said, shaking his head. "We all agreed that this two year deal thing is for power. Sam and Dean, the hunters you talked about, had to be out of the picture for collection on these deals without notice. I have a sinking feeling that you never found them in the original timeline. In this new one, I think we can help you."

"I'll help," Neal said gruffly. "I know some of what Castiel taught me." His eyes did not meet Castiel's. Nor had they ever during the whole month of them being in the same town.

* * *

_Real World, 15 Years Ago, 1997_

Castiel appeared on the doorstep of an orphanage. He looked up with slight trepidation. He was here to find Neal Cassidy, the child he had saved from drowning five years ago. His recent experience with Jimmy and his family left Castiel's mind wandering back to the little boy who he promised to come back soon to visit. However unlikely Neal was to remember him, Castiel decided to try to reconnect.

"Excuse me, does a Neal Cassidy live here?" he asked the lady at the front desk.

The lady looked up. "Sorry, who are you?"

"Uh, Jimmy Novak," Castiel said wincing internally. "Neal and I met about five years ago. I wanted to see if he was doing okay. I promised him I'd visit."

The lady pursed her lips unsurely, but typed Neal's name into the computer. She frowned. "Sorry, Mr. Novak. It looks like we did have a Neal Cassidy a few years ago, but he left about a year after he came in." She pulled up the file. "Yeah, he ran away about a year after being here. They picked him up in Kentucky a couple months later, but he ran away from there too. He just left a place in Arkansas a couple days ago." The lady looked at Castiel. "Are you looking to take him in? If you know him, would you?"

"It's not exactly safe for him to be around me," Castiel said shaking his head. "My friends and I stop the dangerous people. Neal could get hurt." He sighed. "Thank you for your time."

He left swiftly and when he reached the front steps again, Castiel groaned unhappily.

* * *

_Storybrooke, Present Day_

"Neal!"

Neal ignored the voice and continued walking down the street to Emma and Killian's.

"Neal!"

Someone grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"Hello, Castiel," Neal said icily. "What do you want?"

"I just wish to speak to you," Cas said uncomfortably. "I realize the last time we met, I promised I would return to visit."

"Yeah, and I thought it was a stupid dream!" Neal yelled. "For twenty years I thought I made it up, Castiel! Then you and Claire come here and I find out it was real? That's not fair to me. You made the promise, but no! Heaven's perfect angel couldn't bear the thought of disobeying Heaven's orders!"

"I was a fool for a long time," Castiel said quietly. "I followed every order the higher up angels gave me without question. When I met the Winchesters, they began to show me free will. They helped me discover that the angels were trying to make the apocalypse happen." He sighed. "I did go back. About five years after I dropped you off. They said you ran away."

"Like I said," Neal said coldly, "I thought I made it up."

* * *

Henry walked slowly down the street towards Regina's house. He kicked at loose bits of gravel and rocks. The street was eerily quiet and he found himself glancing backwards to make sure he was still alone. Pausing before he turned to walk up the path to the front door, Henry did a quick once over of the street. When he turned back around, a grey face was waiting for him.

He flinched back and did a double take.

"I'm sorry, Henry," Regina was saying as the grey face melted into her's. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Henry swallowed. "It's okay, mom. Just nervous."

Regina led Henry into the house. He stopped dead in his tracks. Sitting at the table was another grey distorted creature. Henry flinched backwards.

"Henry, are you okay?" Regina asked worriedly.

Henry blinked and saw only Robin sitting at the table. He swallowed and shook his head.

"Fine," he mumbled. "I have to write something down. Uh, author stuff… and a little bit of Henry stuff."

Regina watched Henry dash up the stairs to his room. She frowned and looked at Robin.

"You think something's wrong?" Robin asked lowly.

Regina's eyes were fixed on Henry's door. "I think we need to keep an eye on him at least. Perhaps he might explain during dinner?"

About fifteen minutes later, dinner was done. While Robin set out plates and silverware for them, Regina went upstairs to see Henry. She knocked on the door.

"Henry? Dinner's ready," she said gently. When she failed to get a reply, Regina's heart skipped a beat. "Henry? Did you hear me? I said dinner's ready. HENRY!"

Henry did not open his door.

Robin came thundering up the stairs. "What's wrong?"

"Henry, I'm coming in," Regina said loudly. She twisted the handle and let the door swing open.

Henry's room was empty. His window was open and three pieces of paper were on his desk. Two were letters in envelopes containing different names. One was just a scrap piece of paper.

Regina picked up the scrap. "Henry Mills instantly appeared on the ground outside his window," she read, voice wavering. "He used the author's pen to escape?"

"This one is addressed to Lucy," Robin said holding up one envelope. Picking up the other, he continued, "And this one is addressed to you."

Regina read the letter silently. She dropped the letter on the desk and looked at Robin. "We need to go to Emma's. Now."

* * *

_Mom & Dad, Talli, Mom & Dad, Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Dior, and Grandma & Grandpa,_

_I'm so sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this, but it's the only way to make sure no one gets hurt. I've been seeing things all day. It's hard to describe, but hopefully none of you have to experience these hallucinations._

_I've gone to the woods to wait for the hellhounds. I can't risk being near any of you when they come for me. I don't think they care if they drag your souls to hell with mine, but maybe ask Claire or Cas. If they won't attack you guys, I guess I wouldn't mind one last family dinner._

_There should be a letter for Lucy. Please make sure she gets it. I just want her to know that it wasn't her fault I didn't get out._

_Hey, look on the bright side of things. You guys could name Baby Gold after me! Henry Gold or Henrietta Gold. Take your pick. And maybe you could orchestrate a prison break and send me to the better place._

"Please don't stop me. I want to do this. Love always, Henry Daniel Mills," Robin finished thickly.

Emma was sitting frozen in her chair staring at the letter in horror.

"He's ready to die," Killian said numbly.

"No, he isn't," Regina snapped. "It's those silly hallucinations talking. Henry isn't ready to die!"

"Did you see how the letter was addressed?" Killian asked her coldly. "He has never once referred to Robin or I as his father, let alone as Dad. Nor does he usually refer to Belle as his grandmother. Henry has shown how much he cares by simply addressing the whole of us as family by giving us family titles." He closed his eyes. Inhaling deeply, he opened them and continued. "Henry has accepted his death as inevitable. He's asking us to respect that choice."

"You want to let him die?" David exclaimed.

Killian snorted. "Hell no, mate. See, the boy did make just one tiny mistake. He gave himself two extra fathers. Now if I'm not mistaken, it is the duty of a father to protect his child. Henry may have accepted his death, but the rest of us sure haven't. Not yet anyway."

Emma gave a watery laugh. "Okay. Let's find our kid."

* * *

"Hello, Henry."

Henry spun around and face planted into a pile of leaves and twigs. He groaned and rubbed his face. Looking up, he spotted a female in all black clothing. Her chocolate arms held a stack of books.

"Who are you?" Henry asked, feeling stupid laying on the ground. He scrambled to his feet.

The woman's ruby red lips curled into a small smile. "Relax, Henry. I'm not here to hurt you. We need to talk." She sat down on a tree stump. "You can call me Billie."

"Okay, Billie," Henry said, sitting down across from her on another tree stump. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You, Henry," Billie said. She opened the top book. "According to this book, you will die tonight at the hands of a hellhound. According to this one," she opened a different book, "one of your little time traveling group will die in your place. And according to this one," she opened yet another book, "no one but a couple hellhounds will die tonight."

"Who are you?" Henry stammered.

"Death," Billie said nonchalantly. "Or just an average reaper who got a nice job promotion. I have this library that tells me every possible way each human will die. You aren't from my world, so I didn't have any books for you until you made that deal. Right now there are eleven possible outcomes. Before the wedding, there was fifteen."

"Fifteen?" Henry repeated.

"One where only you died at the wedding, one where both you and Lucy died, one where Lucy died and you lived only to come to this moment, and one where you, Lucy, and Claire died," Billie answered. She shook her head. "Oh, Claire almost ruined it for you two. If you make it out alive, you might want to ask her what she was going to do. Of course, the other eleven lead to this point. Eleven possible outcomes for tonight." She closed her books. "Your family is on their way at this moment. They will be here about ten seconds before the hellhounds arrive. You have to decide what death you wish to choose for tonight. Your death, their death, or no one's death." She disappeared without a sound.

Henry stood still for a moment before sinking to the ground, hands folded in prayer.

* * *

_I hope this is right because my family is in danger._

Castiel looked up when he heard the prayer from Henry Mills.

_The hellhounds are coming for me. I'm ready and I accept it, but my family is going to find me just before they do. Please, Castiel, please protect my family._

Cas blinked in shock and a surprising amount of deja vu. His thoughts were thrown back to over a decade ago.

_Yes, I understand. Promise my family will be okay and I'll do it . . . Then, yes._ He then remembered the same man's prayer almost a year later. _Castiel, you son of a bitch! You promised me my family would be okay. You promised you were gonna take care of them. I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? This is your heaven? Help me, please. You promised, Cas. Just help me. _Cas looked down guiltily upon remembering how his actions tore apart the Novak Family. He frowned. He ought to have learned by now to honor the wishes and prayers of those who seeked out guidance and help from him, but then again, he couldn't bear to be the cause of a family being torn apart again.

"Claire!" Cas called.

Claire's head poked around the corner. "Can I help you, Cas?"

"Get the hellhound glasses," Cas ordered. "They're going after Henry and his family is trying to find him now."

Claire sprang into action, tossing rounds of silver bullets and rock salt onto the bed in her haste to find the glasses. "Here," she said tossing a couple pairs to Castiel. "Give those to the others when they get there." She put on a pair of black and purple frames. "Let's roll."

* * *

Killian led the way through the woods, eyes locked on the scarf Regina used to locate Henry. Emma and Regina were right behind him, albeit Emma moved slower and more carefully having Tallahassee clutched to her chest.

"Henry!" Killian yelled.

"Where are you?" David called into the night.

Claire and Castiel appeared in front of them. They were holding pairs of glasses.

"Hurry and put these on," Claire instructed. "They've been burned with holy fire. You'll be able to see the hellhounds." She handed Emma, Killian, and David guns. "I trust you three know how to operate a gun? They're loaded with salt rounds. It won't kill the hellhounds, but it will hurt like hell." She drew her angel blade. "Let's find Henry."

When they finally found Henry, his eyes widened. "No! What are you doing here? I thought you would keep them away," he said to Cas angrily. "I prayed to you. I _trusted_ you."

"I'm sorry, Henry, but I cannot let you die," Castiel said sorrowfully.

"You should have!" Henry screamed. "I should have died at the wedding! Maybe I wasn't ready then, but I am now! Let me go! It's the only way to save my family! Billie said that someone might die in my place tonight and I won't let that happen!"

"Billie?" Cas asked. "As in Death? What did she tell you?"

Growls cut through the night. The hellhounds were close.

"She said tonight either me or someone else in my family would die," Henry said loudly, stepping ever closer to where the hellhounds were heading. "She said there were eleven possible outcomes for tonight, but before the wedding there was fifteen." He looked at Claire. "In one she said Lucy, you, and me died. She said it would have been your fault. What were you planning to do?"

Claire didn't say anything.

"WHAT WERE YOU PLANNING TO DO?" Henry yelled. "Don't let me die without knowing!"

"Then don't die!" Claire yelled. She pulled Henry backwards, sending him flying towards his family. She gave a loud cry as the first hellhound moved out of the darkness. "Get Henry out of here!"

Emma, still holding Tallahassee, turned to her mother with wide eyes. Snow nodded in understanding. She quickly scooped Talli out of her mother's arms and pulled Henry away.

Loud shots echoed through the night as Emma, Killian, and David fired the salt rounds at the demonic dogs.

"Emma!"

It was not the shout of her name that made Emma turn towards Snow, Talli, and Henry. It was the high pitched wail of fear that resonated from Tallahassee's mouth. She and Killian took off at a sprint, nearly dropping their guns upon seeing four hellhounds surrounding Snow who was holding Talli in her arms and keeping one hand in a death grip on Henry's arm to prevent him from running.

Emma pointed her gun at the one closest to her. Then many things happened at once. A loud _bang_ echoed in the wind, the salt round hitting the hellhound target, sending the dog to the ground growling in pain. Snow, not expecting the loud gunshot, jumped and almost lost her hold on the baby. Her hand that was once in a death grip on Henry's arm moved to catch Talli. Henry seized this moment to run away from the others.

"Come and get me you demonic pitbulls!" He yelled. "I'm over here!"

"NO!" Neal shouted. "Henry, stop!" He turned to face his father. "I don't care what you do, make sure my son does not die tonight."

Gold watched over the scene before him as if in slow motion. Claire was off to his left battling one hellhound. Castiel was managing two more nearby, but just barely. David had moved behind a large tree trunk and was talking shots at the group of hellhounds moving towards Henry, but often had to switch trees or shoot other hounds that were after him. Snow, now free of Henry, had disappeared with baby Tallahassee, presumably back to Emma and Killian's house to drop off the baby. Vaguely he hoped that Belle had returned to Dior back at their house, but to no avail he found her wielding what he assumed to be David's sword. Despite the sword having no ability to kill a hellhound, it certainly did enough to weaken them. Robin was out of sight, but arrows seemed to be raining down on the hellhounds from the sky. Regina, Gold guessed, had lifted the archer thief into the tree tops to get a good shot. Regina's fireballs certainly did enough to dissuade the hellhounds from getting too close to her, but her focus was waning with the threat to her son playing out. Finally, Emma and Killian were charging down the slope towards Henry, but they weren't moving anywhere near as fast as the dogs were.

"_Billie said that someone might die in my place tonight!"_ Henry's words echoed in Gold's ears. Eleven possibilities of outcomes. No one dies, Henry dies, Emma dies, Killian dies, Regina dies, Robin dies, Snow dies, David dies, Neal dies, Belle dies… only ten. Surely he, the Dark One, had no chance of dying tonight. What other outcome would there be if not his death.

Belle loses the child. Or possibly Tallahassee or Dior perished on their way to safety.

Before he knew it, Gold was in front of Henry as the hellhounds charged. He held out his hands and it was as if the hellhounds had run into an invisible wall.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" He snapped. "Kill them all!"

Cas and Claire, victorious against the hounds they had been fighting, charged down towards the hell hounds, daggers raised.

No one saw it. Emma and Killian, seeing Henry was going to be okay, had slowed their run. Emma fell, twisting her ankle. David turned his back on the fighting to check if she was okay.

Henry's saw what was going to happen before it did. He took off towards David as fast as he could. Gold saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. He lurched forward as he ran after Henry.

One hellhound moved towards the easy target. It leapt at David. Henry lunged forward to block his grandfather from the dog. Gold sprinted with a single hand outstretched toward the hellhound.

A blood curdling scream pierced the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I didn't want to do a cliffhanger, but I just couldn't resist with this one. I mean, who screamed? Was it David? Was it Henry? Was it someone else entirely? Guys, this was too good to pass up.
> 
> A little bit of a warning for the next chapter. I'm planning on it being Claire-centric. I have a big plan for Claire and for that plan to happen I need to develop her as my character.
> 
> This chapter was really morbidly fun to write while also really hard to write. I definitely went into writing thing with a concrete plan of what I wanted this story to be, but while I was writing this so many things changed. I wrote the first half (beginning through Neal an Castiel's chat) without the chapter being titled. I then figured out that I needed Henry to get attacked by the hellhounds again. I had no idea what to call it, but then I read through the list of songs I have for the THEN and NOW recaps. One is (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. Billie's appearance was totally not planned, but after I started writing after picking a title, I threw her in for a quick scene.
> 
> To clarify, in Supernatural, Billie shows Dean her library where all the possible deaths for every person is located. The books she showed Henry each depict a possible way someone will die. So it stands to reason that one book belonged to Emma's future, one to Killian, one to Snow, one to David, one to Robin, one to Regina, one to Neal, one to Belle, and one to Belle's child. The remaining two both belong to Henry. The one where Henry dies and the one where he lives and faces the hellhounds again or lives a good life and died of old age. The last book depicts a later death which translates into him surviving this encounter.
> 
> Why did Henry accept his death? Henry has always wanted to be a hero and he's very independent. You get a sense of that here with him taking matters into his own hands by making the deal for Robin or casting the time travel spell. His attempts to be the hero have gone south pretty fast. This is his one true way to save his family without any hiccups or bumps. Yes, his family would mourn his death, but they would no longer be plagued by the supernatural.
> 
> Similarly, Sam and Dean are constantly accepting their own deaths time after time knowing and trusting that the other will be able to live the "apple-pie life" and get out of the hunting life.
> 
> Knowing that I don't usually write these every week to post, but I actually write during posting hiatus and then once I have a decent amount of chapters written, I start posting. I am kinda stressing. For one, at the time of writing this I have a grad party to get ready for in a couple days. For two, my family is moving and we need to get our house clean to take pictures of the house to sell. For three, I have no clue what to write for this story. For four- okay I'm done. Here's to grad parties, new houses, and great storytelling!
> 
> Okay, brownie points to the first person to correctly guess who screamed.
> 
> (Edit at time of posting: OMG haha, I'm laughing at myself.)
> 
> Preview - Chapter Seven: The Wayward Daughter...
> 
> Claire finally spun to face Emma. "Shut the hell up!" she yelled angrily. "You have no idea what it's like for me, Emma! Do you know how it feels to look at the dead body of someone you could have saved if only you had been a second quicker or known something a second faster? That is my whole life! I'm sick of hunting, Emma! I want it to be over. I don't want to see another person dead because I couldn't stop the monster quick enough." Her vision was becoming blurry and her eyes wet. "I can't go on like this anymore," Claire cried.
> 
> Emma pulled Claire towards her. The two women stood there for a while. Emma holding Claire tight as the girl finally let her walls down and let her tears fall.
> 
> "I'm going to take you home," Emma said gently, "and then you and I are going to talk."


End file.
